


The Shadow Chronicles

by TheRebelFlower



Category: Thunderbirds
Genre: F/M, Family Fluff, Other characters and pairings will come up at some point, Romance, Romantic Fluff, episode follow along
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-23
Updated: 2020-11-29
Packaged: 2021-03-07 18:20:17
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 27,272
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26622028
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheRebelFlower/pseuds/TheRebelFlower
Summary: A collection of behind-the-scenes views and side stories taking flight at the end of the episode Touch and Go until the return of Jeff Tracy (and beyond), focusing on Kayo and her growing relationship with a certain commander of International Rescue...(Sorry for the rating switch but there will be some adult themes here and there and I don't want to offend anyone...)
Relationships: Tanusha "Kayo" Kyrano/Scott Tracy
Comments: 24
Kudos: 32





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! Welcome! I hope you enjoy your stay.
> 
> I'll be honest. This story is pure indulgence on my part because to me, the Scott/Kayo pairing is just so obvious and fitting. I started writing this mostly for certain scenes I had in mind, but as those things go, it grew into something much bigger. I hesitated a lot before posting it, but figured out perhaps other Scayo-hungry people are out there so why not share.
> 
> The rating is set to M and I’ll try to keep the main story toned down, but it *is* a snuggle, so there will be adult situations in the main story, plus explicit stuff in some of the chapters, which I’ll put in a companion file and link/rate accordingly. Those scenes are part of my evolution of the Scott/Kayo relationship (or any other pairing that will pop up) and add to the character development, but they are explicit; the companion file will let people who don’t want to read them skip them.

Kayo could not help but melt a little. Those eyes, those dimples, _that smile_ … _Stop it with the fangirl attitude, this is clearly not the time or the place_ , she chided herself, trying to slip on her ‘I couldn’t care less’ mask but feeling rather unsuccessful.

It was becoming more and more difficult. Scott Tracy was a force of nature in many ways—not to mention very, _very_ easy on the eyes—and it was magnetic. As she sat there in Thunderbird Shadow’s cockpit, Kayo knew it was foolish to entertain the notion that he could return her feelings and she had to rein them in. It would get complicated fast, for several reasons… but why did he have to yell her name desperately like that? And look at her like he was going to lean over the side of the cockpit and—

“ _I wish you didn’t feel the need to p-push the limits of your ships outside of controlled test conditions,_ ” Brain commented over the comms system with a hint of irritation in his voice.

The spell was broken immediately. Kayo thanked her unexpected savior silently. “I’m sorry, Brains, I really thought I was going to be able to set down the tank quickly without causing too much damage to Shadow,” she replied, trying to placate the engineer.

“ _Well don’t touch it anymore until I've had the chance to have a look at it. I’ll need to have it p-picked up._ ” Brains saw Scott open his mouth to speak but quickly cut him off, “ _I must insist that you_ do not _use Thunderbird One to take it back to Tracy Island, it was not designed to bear all that weight. I would prefer to repair only one vehicle at a t-t-time if you don’t mind._ ”

Scott and Kayo exchanged a look. Brains very rarely raised his voice in general, so for him to be so abrupt was a strong indicator of his current state of mind.

“I’ll help you when we come back,” Kayo offered.

“ _Virgil is currently in Nevada helping another plane after he dropped off Captain C-c-carter. I’ll let him know to pick you up once he is done. However, I’m not sure how long he will be out. You might want to set up a tent. I’ll see you when you get back._ ”

Scott’s eyes widened in surprise. “Uh… F.A.B?” he managed to say but the communication was cut off. “Did he… did he just hang up on us?”

“Looks like it…”

He couldn’t help but chuckle in disbelief. “Why do I have the feeling he’s going to ‘forget’ to tell Virg we need a lift and we’re going to be stuck the whole night here?”

Kayo shrugged her shoulders. “Just leave me the tent and a couple of MREs and I’ll be fine. You can head back home.”

The side-eye he gave her was supposed to be a little scolding but her heart decided that it was the appropriate moment to pitter patter at how alluring it actually looked. “Come on,” he said in a decisive tone of voice, before turning and heading toward Thunderbird One.

She climbed out of Shadow and followed him to the larger ship, where he stepped onto one of the seat’s footrests and motioned for her to do the same on the other side. When he saw that she was holding on to the armrest, he pushed the button to raise the seat back into the cockpit. The hatch closed under them and they stepped down onto it as soon as the seat locked into place.

Scott opened one of the storage compartments to retrieve the collapsible tent. It wasn’t the bunk-bedroom and compact bathroom that Thunderbird Two had but it was already better than Shadow’s very basic survival kit. The sleek plane wasn’t meant to stay out for prolonged sessions and a larger kit wasn’t usually required.

Putting the tent on the floor, he reached into the compartment again to take a heating block and two camping mattresses. Meanwhile, Kayo had moved efficiently to another compartment to take blankets, water, and opened the MRE cabinet to peruse the selection of available meals. “Chicken gumbo, Beef and black beans or pasta?” she asked, taking a pasta pack for herself.

They hadn’t eaten since breakfast and while they weren’t five-star restaurant meals, the MREs were quite edible and, more importantly, quite filling. Scott chose the gumbo. She put all of the items on the seat, along with the mattresses, then picked up the tent and went to stand on her footrest while Scott did the same with the heating block so that they could be lowered to the ground again. The seat was designed to withstand being out in the open when One was in flight, so the weight of two people and camping material was not a problem at all.

With practiced ease and companionable silence, they put up the tent and prepared dinner. They settled down a little further away from the ship, making sure to be upwind of the remains of the tank. The high-volatile nature of the fuel meant that it had burned out almost immediately, but the acrid smell and smoke remained and was going to cling to everything they came in contact with.

As they ate, Scott related the rescue of the cargo plane Virgil and he had made and how John and Brains were able to route the remaining planes correctly after the air traffic control hub was functional again. When he avoided mentioning anything she had done in the meantime, she should have considered it as a first clue that he had something on his mind, but being alone with him was a rare treat and with the stress of what had just happened, she wanted to enjoy it as much as she could. There would be time to think about the proper wording to use in her report when they returned to Tracy Island.

Kayo rummaged through the rest of the ration packs and took the glazed peaches that were part of his meal; she knew he wouldn’t mind the exchange, especially if she let him have the M&Ms included in hers as a bonus. When she looked up at him, she noticed that he was staring back at her. The orangey glow of the heating cube was casting warm tones on his face but his serious expression and rigid posture gave her pause.

“What is it?” she asked, trying to ignore the uneasiness creeping up on her. “Did you want the peaches?”

He pursed his lips, then asked: “Did you want to do your debriefing now while it’s just the two of us here?”

So... that was why he hadn’t said anything about her part of the mission. _And I thought he had wanted to stay with me for the night to keep me company; he just wants to drive the nail in further as fast as he can,_ she thought, disappointed and a little angry.

She put back the unopened packet and sat up, her body stiffening and preparing for a fight despite herself. “I didn’t think I would get the ‘scold the bratty little sister’ speech so soon,” she let out.

“We have to talk about the way you’ve handled your missions today, Kayo. I thought you would prefer that we do it now rather than wait back home where others might hear or interfere.”

“I did what I had to do under the circumstances.”

“You disregarded my instructions. I thought I had been clear.”

“Sometimes when you’re in the middle of it, you have to make decisions on the spot because circumstances change. I had to act fast so that the systems were restored before you and Virgil ended up facing more airplane crashes to handle!”

Scott was trying to stay calm, but there was a noticeable edge to his voice as he added: “You ignored John’s instructions as well. The hub was restored. All you needed to do is head back home while he contacted the GDF.”

His impatience was feeding hers. “And then what? Wait patiently and prepare coffee for your return while there was still work to do? Someone had to go after the Hood to prevent more problems!”

“ _He’s the GDF’s business, Kayo!_ Not ours! When it comes to the Hood sometimes, I swear it’s like you lose all common sense and charge right in with your head down! It’s become an unhealthy obsession of yours.”

“He didn’t get the fuel tanks...”

“You didn’t get them either! Plus, you fried your ship’s motor! You nearly _died_! Do you have any idea...” his voice caught in his throat and he blinked, stopping abruptly. “Your intervention was reckless, dangerous and unnecessary.”

He didn’t understand... “I had to stop him, Scott. I must... he will—”

“We are a rescue organization. We rescue people when disaster strikes. We’re not vigilantes!”

“We must _act_ sometimes, and not always _react_!” she let out, then stopped, horrified that she had used the exact same wording her uncle had during their confrontation on his ship.

“Don’t try that with me. My point is that as field commander, I gave you clear orders and you ignored them! That's not how International Rescue works. We are a team, and we stick to the objective. You are part of the team and you have to start acting like it. You can't just run off on your own whenever you decide that you don't like something I've said! I need to know that I can rely on you!”

“How can you... of course, you can rely on me!” she spluttered indignantly.

“Well I haven’t seen that today!”

 _You have no idea how loyal I was to_ you _today,_ she almost screamed at him.

She stood up, balling her fists to hide the fact that she was shaking, then grabbed the blanket on her mattress.

“What are you doing?” he asked, his voice so sharp it was more a demand than a question.

“I need some fresh air,” she said, before exiting the tent.

“Kayo...” she heard him say as the flap closed, but he didn’t follow her out.

Good.

She wasn’t sure if she was going to slap him or start crying like an idiot if he did and she wanted neither to happen.

Draping the blanket over her shoulders, she walked briskly toward Shadow. Her sanctuary. She climbed into the cockpit, closing the canopy to ward off the colder air and the wafts of smoke. Arranging the blanket on herself to cover the upper part of her body, she leant back to look at the stars for a moment. Her uncle was intensifying his activities; he was preparing something, she knew it. She had to stop him, to protect the Tracys. What she had started at first in taking over her father’s role was now truly her own goal. The Hood didn’t play by the rules, so she couldn’t either if she wanted to stop him. Scott had to understand that and let her do her job.

She sighed, pulling on her hairband to remove it. Her long, dark hair spilled over her shoulder, letting out a faint smokey smell. She winced, but was relieved not to feel the bump between her head and the headrest anymore. _I have to tell them who the Hood is before it’s too late,_ she thought, _even if it means that Scott will kick me off the island or have me arrested for being a potential menace and a spy._

She shifted uncomfortably in her seat. At least she hadn’t been foolish enough to tell Scott how she felt about him, so if she got kicked out, her embarrassment wouldn’t be total.

A swirl of smoke hid the stars for a moment. The Hood had saved her today. He had chosen her over his loot. Was there still some hope...? They had been a happy family once. She had good, fond memories. Visits to places, her first flying lesson... she fiddled with her hairband, feeling helpless and sad. Perhaps she could try to find him? Talk to him? She snorted. Kyranos rarely veered off objectives they had set for themselves. She was in a good position to know that.

Her eyes drifted down to the tent. She could see the golden red inviting glow of the heating cube, as well as Scott’s form vaguely outlined on the fabric wall. He was still sitting up and didn’t seem to be moving much. Could she just “follow orders”, as he had put it? Not as long as the Hood was at large, her head told her heart.

_And after he’s caught, you’ll find other reasons to butt heads with him about._

She couldn’t help but smile.

Scott stood up and moved away from where he was in front of the heating cube, so she lost sight of him. He was probably preparing for bed. She looked on, expecting him to come back to his spot and lie down, but was surprised to see him raise the flap and exit the tent instead. He didn’t even bother to look around and set his sights directly on Shadow. On her. Her heart did its little dance number again.

He wasn’t angry anymore. If anything, he looked a little nervous. She watched him approach. There was no use in pretending she was asleep or that she hadn’t seen him. He reached Shadow’s side and tapped on the canopy with his fingers, then waited for her to decide if she wanted to talk to him or not. She pressed the button and the glass pane slid forward.

“I should have waited for the debriefing. I’m sorry. We’re both tired. Come back inside,” he said in a soft voice.

She pursed her lips.

“You’ll get cold,” he tried again.

“I have my blanket.”

“It stinks out here!”

“The canopy protects me.”

“You can’t be comfortable like this.”

“I’m fine.” She looked down at her hands on her lap. “I need to think. I’m not good company right now.”

“I beg to differ.”

She said nothing. He sighed. “Suit yourself,” he muttered, then left.

Kayo watched him open the flap and step into the tent, then sit again on his mattress. He didn’t move for a while and she wondered if he was waiting for her to change her mind and follow him. She wouldn’t give him the satisfaction. Closing Shadow’s canopy, she huddled under the blanket, trying not to think about anything. Not about her uncle and his plans, not about the fact that she had failed at her mission and nearly died today, not about how Scott must now think she was a bratty, pouting little sister and that he had been right to scold her in the first place.

Damn it.

He settled down on his mattress, tossed around a bit, then stopped, apparently finding a comfortable position. She waited for some time, then opened the canopy again and jumped out, taking her blanket with her. There was a way to save face about this, wasn’t there, she wondered as she walked slowly toward the welcoming beacon of the heating cube. If her uncle came back and she was all the way over there, she couldn’t intervene fast enough to protect him. Yes. That was it. She would stick with that.

Everything was silent around them; the wind had died down. When she reached out for the flap, her keen hearing caught Scott’s regular breathing. It wasn’t quite a snore, but it was deep; he had fallen asleep. Biting her lip, she moved as quietly as she could so as not to awake him and sat down on her mattress. He had taken his baldric off and unzipped his uniform to free his neck; she could see his undershirt in the opening. He was sleeping on his back, his mouth slightly agape, his hands on his stomach.

_I shouldn’t be gawping at him like this_ , she thought, yet was unable to stop her eyes from wandering down his legs, then up again, lingering over some areas more than others; she wouldn’t have an available answer to give if he ever woke up at _that_ moment.

She had the fleeting vision of him waking up, noticing that she was looking at him and coming over her side of the tent to kiss her senseless and do wondrous things to her—that’s what happened in movies after all—and felt an odd mix of anticipation, disappointment and anger at herself for being such a ninny. She lay down with a huff, making sure she was facing away from him so she wouldn't be tempted to contemplate his long eyelashes or his broad shoulders or anything else her wild imagination seemed to think was a good idea to think about at the moment. She had the bad feeling it was going to be a long night.

***

Scott’s bladder decided it was time to get up. He resisted a little, keeping his eyes closed, but the discomfort was persistent and he finally gave up. It was bright outside; he had slept longer than he thought he would. He was surprised he had slept at all, considering last night’s mess... He sat up, then blinked, spotting Kayo still sleeping on her side of the tent. It was rare to be able to see her in such an unguarded state and he savored it for a moment, despite his body protesting.

He crept out of the tent, took care of business further away, then came back to One, climbing aboard. He picked a compacted cloth pellet from the cabinet, poured some water on it to make it expand, and wiped his face and hands in an attempt to feel a little more awake and human. He picked a couple of additional pellets, the coffee pot and instant coffee and stood on the seat footrests to lower himself to the ground when One’s communication system bleeped. He pressed the button to take the call and a small hologram of his brother Virgil appeared.

_“Morning, big brother, coming in to pick you up. My ETA is about an hour, did you have a good night?”_

Scott snorted. “No. It was crap.”

_“What, no kiss and make up after yesterday’s quarrel? You were all alone with no one to bug you...”_

“We were also at each other’s throats because she won’t give up on that stupid notion that she will do what she wants regardless of instructions.”

 _“Sounds oddly familiar,”_ Virgil commented, but Scott chose to ignore him.

“Her obsession with handling things on her own for God-knows-what reason nearly got her killed last night. I, very badly I’ll admit, tried to make her see how this couldn’t continue and she didn’t take it well. I know I should have waited but I was so angry and terrified...” he paused, visibly upset. “I didn’t get there on time, Virg, she was falling and couldn’t eject and I thought I had lost her!”

Virgil gave his brother a moment to compose himself. Scott’s feelings for International Rescue’s security specialist were so plainly written on his face at the moment but it wasn’t the time to tease him about it. _“What happened?”_ he asked gently.

“The Hood, of all people. He caught her, then fled.”

_“Huh! Maybe he didn’t want to have blood on his hands?”_

“Who the hell knows. She was angry I didn’t go after him. So, I got angry that it’s all she cared about.”

_“Did you tell her you were glad she was all right?”_

“Yeah...”

_“And?”_

“She was checking Shadow’s status. She didn’t say anything. It was as if nothing happened.”

Virgil let out a chuckle under his breath, shaking his head. _“You guys, I swear...”_ he muttered.

“What?”

_“Never mind... Where is she now? Did you two reconcile?”_

“She’s sleeping. Not really.”

_“Well, don’t worry about the Hood and the not listening stuff. You can argue about that later. Just go and see her and hug her and tell her you’re happy she’s there and that’s all that matters, because it is. Did you want me to take longer to get there?”_

“No, it's fine.”

_“Alright. See you soon.”_

Virgil’s hologram disappeared. Scott lowered the seat and exited One. _Don’t be surprised if I’m doubled over in pain on the ground because she kneed me for trying to hug her,_ he told his now absent brother.

Kayo was still sleeping when he entered the tent. Virgil was right. She was there. That’s all that mattered. He poured water into the coffee pot and set it on one of the quick heating pads from the meal kits to have it boil. Locating the cups they hadn’t used the day before, he poured packets of instant coffee into them—it would have to do for now—and added a little sugar in hers.

He poured the water into the cups, stirring the coffee in as best as he could, and set them on the heating block. She had not moved the whole time; she must have been very tired. He felt a little guilty as he leaned over her and brushed her hair away from her face gently, calling her name.

She opened a bleary eye and he smiled at her. “Good morning.”

“Mmph,” she let out.

“Virgil called. He’ll be here in a little less than an hour; I thought you might want to get ready beforehand? I made coffee. Kinda.”

He retrieved the cups while she sat up, swinging her legs over the edge of the bed and yawning. Her hair was a little tousled and she braided it absently to get it out of the way. He found her stunning with her hair loose and preferred it that way but thought it wiser not to comment at the moment. He sat next to her and gave her her cup. “I apologize in advance for the old sock juice taste,” he said.

She smiled before taking a sip. “I’d say it’s more like the water dish from a potted plant,” she commented. “The sugar is helping a little. Thank you.”

“Are you hungry?”

“Not really.”

“Are you sure? We got M&Ms!” he said, standing up.

“That’s fine.”

She sounded amused and it made his heart soar. She took a few more sips, then stood up as well to start packing things up. He followed her cue and they quickly fell into what was their usual natural and unspoken collaboration. It was almost like a dance; they instinctively knew where the other was and how to move so as to not be a hindrance.

At one point, Kayo excused herself to go freshen up and Scott politely remained inside to give her privacy. However, his brother’s words were still lingering in his mind and when she came back, he walked up to her before any courage he could muster up left him and threw his arms around her. He wanted to say something intelligent or witty, but couldn’t find anything, so he remained quiet.

He expected her to struggle, to move away or protest, but she remained where she was, turning her face to lean closer into his chest and putting her arms around his waist. He could have stayed like that for a long time. She fitted just perfectly, her hair was soft against his cheek... He let go reluctantly when he heard Thunderbird Two’s engines in the distance and even if Kayo was still silent and didn’t look at him after they separated, he was almost certain she had shared the sentiment.

Was it possible to feel elated and scared at the same time?


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which more fluff is added to the mix.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As I said in chapter 1, I'm upping the rating to M... some things will still be in here despite the eventual companion file and I don't want to offend anyone.
> 
> Thank you for reading!

“You know, you’d get a better view from down there.”

Kayo started, nearly dropping the pan she was holding, and turned around as she moved away from the large glass doors separating the dining area of the villa from the patio and the pool below. Sally Tracy was walking toward her with a smile and a twinkle in her eye that made it impossible for the younger woman to be angry with the family matriarch for catching her unawares. “A view of what? I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Sally peered down at the pool for a moment, where three of her grandsons were swimming around. As expected, one of them was her eldest. “I’m old, but I’m not blind yet,” she said.

Kayo shrugged and moved to the kitchen area of the room and began to take ingredients out as it was her turn to prepare dinner. “Scott doesn’t need yet one more thing to worry about.”

“Now, what is that supposed to mean?”

“He has enough with the rescues, the company, with my uncle who has decided to go after International Rescue again; he doesn’t need someone he sees as a little sister fawning over him.”

Sally seemed to consider her words for a moment. “Are you sure he sees you as a sister?”

“How else would he see me?”

“A vibrant, intelligent and beautiful woman he would be foolish not to be crazy about?”

Kayo scoffed, starting to prepare small beef skewers. “I’m pretty sure he wouldn’t be scolding me and trying to boss me around the way he does if he saw me like that.”

She had to admit that she was being a little unfair. Since the argument they had the week before, they hadn’t raised the subject again, but Scott had been less on her back about how she handled things. They had seemed to come to some unspoken understanding and it was a true relief.

“Maybe it’s his way of showing you his affection because he doesn’t know what you think of him?”

Kayo remained silent, finishing her skewers, putting them aside and starting to work on the green chicken curry she had also planned. She had heard Scott scream her name with an edge she had rarely heard before, remembered his fingers in her hair, the way he had held her... The Tracys were affectionate people and it wasn’t rare for them to touch and hug; that had lasted longer than a brotherly hug, however. She could still feel his warmth, smell the hint of aftershave and his own intoxicating smell—it had been very difficult not to just nuzzle his skin through his unzipped uniform. Was Sally right? Was there something more?

“But if he’s just being bossy and I come right out and profess my feelings for him, then it will be awkward for everyone. He’d try to be fair despite knowing this, I’d try to hide my embarrassment and know he would pity me and I’d end up having to leave the island,” she said.

“So you prefer to hold back and steal glances when he’s not looking? That won’t warm your bed at night, dear.”

“Grandma!” the younger woman hiccupped, feeling her face heat up and giggling embarrassedly despite herself.

The Tracy matriarch rarely beat around the bush. Seeing her delivering her blunt words of wisdom to someone could be hilarious; being on the receiving end of them was not exactly the same. Especially if they triggered all kinds of interesting mental images that were better enjoyed alone.

“So what if I did tell him how I feel and he told me how he feels and we’re all happy and, er, warm,” the young woman was keeping busy with her cooking to avoid looking at Sally, “and then he learned about my link to the Hood? What then? I’d end up freezing on my own far away from here.”

“That’s not putting a lot of faith in my grandson. You are not the Hood.”

“But I have kept that information from Scott.”

“Because Jeff and I thought it was the right thing to do at the time.”

“I thought I would handle the situation before it came to this. Had I been more efficient, it would not have been a problem.”

“Oh, darling, no!” Sally exclaimed. “You can’t fight him alone and no one is expecting you to do that. Don’t be silly.”

“I’m International Rescue’s security. I’m supposed to protect you.”

“You are! But the situation is bigger than anyone can handle alone now.”

Kayo’s expression became serious as she worked and the older woman stopped her for a moment, taking her hands and squeezing them.

“It might be the time to let the others know after all,” she paused and the twinkle reappeared in her eyes. “Could clear the air for some other things, too.”

The corners of Kayo’s mouth lifted despite her worriedness. Yes, it was time. If anything, it would make Scott understand why she sometimes acted the way she did.

There was movement on the patio outside and the two women looked up to see the three swimmers come in. Nearly as soon as he took a few steps inside the kitchen area, Gordon took a deep breath and let out an enthusiastic “Oh my gosh, it smells heavenly in here!”

“I’m famished!” Alan added; that boy was engulfing alarming amounts of food despite his smaller size and Kayo was glad she had prepared a lot of it.

Both blonds approached the counter to eye tonight’s dinner and made appreciative comments about it before they left to get changed, Alan saying he was going to get Virgil and Brains on his way back. Scott followed them at a slower pace and stopped next to the counter. Sally saw him frown a little because he had picked up on Kayo’s serious expression and she felt a wave of love wash over her for both of them. They needed each other more than they thought—and more than just to keep warm at night.

“Do you need help with anything? I’ll go change and come back,” he said, trying to hide his concern and look casual.

Kayo seemed to hesitate, but finally replied: “Yes, thank you, that would be lovely.”

“All right. Be back in a flash.”

Kayo watched him leave, her gaze lingering over his broad shoulders.

Sally smiled. “Life is short, sweetie. Trust me. If that’s both what you want, open the door and welcome what you can give each other with open arms.”

Kayo sighed, still looking at the now empty entrance. “I’ll tell him. Then we’ll see what kind of door I’m facing.”

***

She sat at Jeff’s desk in the lounge, doing some paperwork for the household. It was getting late, almost a quarter past ten according to the clock on the computer. Scott wasn’t back from his mission yet.

They all had barely sat down for dinner when John’s hologram had popped up on the table and announced that there was a new situation. The rescue was pretty straightforward however and Scott had stated that he would go on his own. He had left, after giving a slightly forlorn look at the curry and beef satays he was abandoning, and an apologetic one at her.

That had triggered an interesting, albeit silent exchange between Sally and her which had left the younger woman deciding that she would save some of the dinner from the ravenous eaters currently at the table so that Scott could have his share, and adding some for herself, even though she had the feeling that she wouldn’t be very hungry considering what she was planning to do.

She was going to tell Scott. Tonight. After he was well fed and sated. Then, hopefully, they would see how to go about telling the others and decide how they would handle this all together. She looked at the clock again. 10:06. Time was dragging on. She tried to concentrate on the expenses file in front of her in order to stop building scenarios of what to say if he reacted one way or another.

She was moving on to another file when the comm. system bleeped on the desk and Scott’s hologram appeared next to her arm.

“ _Thunderbird One to base, I’m on my way back._ ”

“How did it go?”

_“Took longer than I expected, but I wanted to make sure the lost hikers’ families were notified and that they reunited with them at the hospital before I left.”_

That was pure Scott behavior. Responsible and thorough. She smiled at him. “Are you hungry? I kept you some dinner...”

He chuckled. _“How did you manage that? I had an energy bar earlier but that’s, yeah,”_ he made a face, _“It’ll be more than welcome, thanks!”_

“What’s your ETA?”

He looked at his instruments for a moment. _“About 20 minutes.”_

“F.A.B. See you soon, Thunderbird One.”

Scott saluted before cutting the link. Kayo mentally calculated twenty minutes, plus the time he would require to get One back in her hangar and do his post-flight check to see when she would have to reheat the food and set the table. She was glad the others were elsewhere in the house or already in bed because what she had planned was starting to look suspiciously like a date and she wasn’t sure she was ready to explain or justify any of it.

One more expense report took her closer to Scott’s arrival and she went down to the kitchen to get everything ready almost at the same time as the large glass doors of the villa shut down automatically to cut out most of the noise and stop the rocket’s exhaust fumes and smoke from invading the house.

She marveled at Brains’ incredible designs for a moment, watching the silver ship descend toward the pool opening, then set to work. She put the food in the oven to reheat, set the table for two—feeling flustered and ridiculous for being flustered at the same time—and, after hesitating a little, took a couple of lagers out of the refrigerator, hoping that the wait would be enough to warm them up a bit.

She was filling up the plates when Scott arrived in the kitchen. “Oh, now you’re spoiling me! I would have reheated it in the microwave,” he commented, his smile deepening his dimples.

Kayo rolled her eyes and handed him his plate before walking around the counter with hers. He looked at her plate, the table, then her face, and cocked an eyebrow in a silent question. She could have sworn the blue of his eyes darkened slightly to a more cobalt hue and it sent tingles to her stomach. And lower. _Oh dear._

“I thought you wouldn’t mind the company; it’s not fun to eat alone, ” she said, sitting down and putting her napkin on her lap.

“No, no I don’t mind it at all! I’m sorry, this is a nice surprise.” He opened the bottles of lager and poured them into the glasses on the table. “So, are the kids in bed?” he asked with an impish and contagious smile.

“Pretty much. Gordon was tired. Virgil went to his room to relax and read. Alan went to bed but is probably playing video games.”

“Wouldn’t be surprised if he is.”

He ate a few bites, moaning softly in delight as he enjoyed them. Kayo took a sip of her beer to try to calm down. She was supposed to prepare what she was going to say, not wonder if that was the kind of sounds he made when— _take a deep breath, girl._

“You say you waited for the hikers’ families to arrive at the hospital?” she asked.

_Coward._

He nodded. “Yeah, especially since they were teens. Then I took one of the fathers back to the site so he could retrieve their car. I think the guy was embarrassed that I had to come out all the way there to get his son and his friends. But they were stuck in such a way that the local rescue teams couldn’t reach them and there would have been no room for Thunderbird Two to land or even maneuver around.” He took a piece of flat bread and broke a part off to dip into his plate. “When I left the guy with the car, he said he hoped his son had learned his lesson. I didn’t have the heart to tell him his son asked me to sign his cast.”

She felt herself relax as they talked and their conversation shifted toward other subjects and began to eat instead of moving her food around. The more they talked, the more her courage waned; she was actually enjoying herself and his company and didn’t want the evening to end. The Hood could wait another day, couldn’t he?

He finished his plate before she did and set it aside, taking his glass and spinning it between his fingers. His posture shifted a little and she looked at him, sensing his uncertainty.

“You know, I’m glad we’re having this moment alone because I wanted to talk to you about something,” he said.

Her heart skipped a beat at the multitude of scenarios that filled her head, from dreadful to hopeful and she could only nod dumbly to encourage him to go on.

He took a sip and continued: “I’ve been thinking about what happened last week. About what you said regarding acting ahead of disasters.”

She tensed. She didn’t want to start an argument. Not after having a nice time with him like this. But she couldn’t help the “My mind hasn’t changed about that” which escaped her lips.

He gave her a lopsided smile. “I wasn’t expecting anything less from you.”

“This is my way of contributing to International Rescue, Scott. It’s what I know. It’s what I’m good at. You said you needed to know that you can rely on me. You can. _I_ need to know that you trust me to do my part. I’m clearing the way for you so that you can focus on rescuing people who need it and not worry about things that can be prevented! Maybe I’m too passionate about this, but in the end, I want the same thing you do.”

“As I said, I’ve been thinking about the situation.” He paused. “If I gave you some leeway in that direction, can you assure me that you would let me know about your intentions and tone things down a bit so that no one gets in trouble with the law or the GDF?”

Her jaw dropped. Her heart sang. That man was wonderful. This meant that she could continue keeping tracks on the Hood and get him locked up without having to reveal anything! She felt an undignified giggle bubble up in her throat and before she could stop herself from doing so, stood up and raced around the table to hug him around the neck, pecking his cheek for good measure. “I’ll surely do my best! You won’t regret this,” she stated close to his ear.

“Of course, I will. I’ll fret and wonder why I agreed to this in the first place more often than not,” he said, covering her arm with his, his fingers curling loosely around hers.

“No, you won’t because you’ll be confident that I’m doing my work like you’re doing yours when you’re dangling from a wire between Thunderbird One and a runaway train.”

He chuckled. “We’ll see.” He squeezed her fingers and stood up, picking up his plate. “Well, time to go write that report before going to bed. That was delicious, Kayo, really hit the spot. Thank you.”

She was a little disappointed that he broke contact so quickly but went along and started clearing the table; she didn’t have dessert left to offer him anyway considering that his glutton brothers had cleared out the honeycomb cake nearly as soon as she had put it down. Unless...

They finished cleaning the few remaining pans by hand and Kayo sent Scott off to work on his report while she wiped the counter and put the pans away, despite his protests that she had done enough. Sharing her private stash of treats with him was one thing. Showing him where it was located was another story.

***

Scott looked up from his report when he saw Kayo come up the stairs at the other end of the lounge. She was carrying two plates on which sat a glass of milk and a small assortment of fancy-looking cookies.

“I didn’t know we had these,” he said, looking interestedly at them.

“Officially, we don’t,” she replied with a wink—a wink!—putting a plate on the desk where he could easily reach it then, taking the tablet that was there she went down to sit on the yellow couch below.

She must have been really pleased about him deciding to let her do more preventive work, as she called it. He was just stupidly happy that she was happy.

He worked on his report, enjoying his dessert, looking over once in a while in the direction of the couch. Kayo was doing her evening security scan of the property, verifying all of the systems through the network and making notes in the logs about the tasks she would have to do the following morning.

 _I have to stop staring at her like this, she’s going to think I’m some sort of pervert—who looks at his sister like that,_ he scolded himself. _A guy who nearly jumped out of his skin when she touched your ear with her mouth and who has never seen her as a sister, that’s who._

He valiantly shifted his eyes back to his report, fighting the thought of her mouth touching his ear or any other part of him, cursing his treacherous body for not helping the situation _at all_.

He added references for the hospital he had taken the hikers to and added a link to his post-flight check, closed the report application and did a quick scan of the news. Kayo sat differently on the couch and from the way she was leaning to one side, he could tell she had tucked her legs under herself while reading something on the tablet. He smiled, liking to think that they were both comfortable with the other’s company and didn’t really want to go to bed.

“Are you tired?” he asked in a low voice.

She didn’t answer. Either her book was captivating or she hadn’t heard him. He stood up and walked quietly to the edge of the circle to have a peek at her. She had fallen asleep with her head on one of the pillows. Her grip on the tablet had loosened and it was threatening to fall off the couch. _Well, watching you sleep seems to have become a habit of mine lately,_ he thought, finding that he didn’t mind it.

He pondered over carrying her upstairs for a moment. He knew he was able to, but it would most likely wake her up and he didn’t want that. Instead, he walked to the storage bench that they had on the other side of the pool table and retrieved a light blanket from it. He entered the circle through the steps further away from her and threaded on the carpet slowly. He pulled on the tablet carefully, moving it away and leaving it on the central table. He didn’t notice her eyes fluttering open while he was turned around, or them closing quickly when he lay the blanket over her legs and midsection. He lingered there a little, then bent down to kiss her brow, his lips remaining there much longer than was reasonable.

He stepped back, then climbed up the stairs to exit the circle and left the lounge, unaware that Kayo’s eyes were now fully open.

***

She wasn’t in the lounge when he got up the following morning. Then again, he was a little later than usual and everyone else must have been out and about doing their daily activities.

He walked into the empty kitchen and saw that someone had already made coffee—Virgil, most likely—and poured himself a mug before looking in the refrigerator for some breakfast inspiration.

“Good morning...”

He turned around to see Kayo standing in the entrance. She was smiling softly and he felt an odd mix of warmth and excitement run up and down his spine. “Morning. Ham and cheese omelet?” he replied.

He felt like such a great conversationalist...

She nodded, walking in, and he turned to retrieve the ingredients he needed from the refrigerator. He barely had the time to put them on the counter when she took his arm and pulled him close to kiss his jaw. It was more a caress than a kiss, her lips were soft and her gesture deliberately slow. It almost reminded him of...

“I woke you up last night, didn’t I?” he asked, and the pang of guilt he felt quickly switched to something he wasn’t sure how to describe when she pulled back and he saw that she was actually smiling.

“I didn’t mind, although...” she bit her lip and he could have sworn that her complexion darkened slightly, “... your aim was rather bad. That’s not where my mouth is.”

 _What the... was she...?_ “I... I guess I need more practice then,” he said, wincing mentally at the cheesiness of his reply but taking a step forward and closing the gap between them.

He was tentative at first, letting her know that she could move away if she wasn’t interested but she leant into him, the soft breath she let out through her nose tickling his cheek as she sighed. He took it as an invitation to deepen his kiss, teasing her with the tip of his tongue until she parted her lips to let him taste her. She was just so... _delicious_ , he wanted one more nibble, one more lick...

_Oh my..._

She had expected him to laugh at her stupid comment about where her mouth was, not... _that_. It was as if all coherent thoughts had left her mind the second his mouth had touched hers and she was just _feeling_... the touch of his hand on her waist, with his little finger reaching lower on her hip, his now smooth chin and upper lip brushing against her, his fresh soapy/aftershave/Scott smell, that small groan he let out when the tip of their tongues met... She folded her arms around his neck, stretching a little to reach him, indulging in letting her breasts rub against his chest, in letting the now quite obvious bulge at the front of his jeans touch her. _I swear, if he sits me on that counter..._

He had more self-control than she did, because he pulled away slowly, blinking. He rested his hands on the counter, on each side of her, touching his forehead to hers. “Don’t be surprised if I want to practice again,” he said.

She bit her lip. “I won’t mind it either.”

He looked at her from under his eyebrows and smiled impishly. His eyes were clearly of a darker cobalt hue this time. She felt a jolt of pleasure and anticipation travel all the way down to her core. And definitely didn’t mind _that_ either.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which some things are said and some things are done.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the first chapter that will make use of the Companion file because it would normally contain explicit scenes. I have tried to remove them as best as I could to retain the M rating and the continuity of the story (and provide links if you *do* want to read them), but I cannot guarantee that they don't also contain details that will be mentioned later on. I want to apologize for that in advance but I can also understand that not everyone want to read this type of content.

Kayo shifted uncomfortably in her seat, trying to find a way to alleviate the pressure on her back. The rescue had been fast-paced and the adrenaline rush had masked the pain for a while but now that she was on her way back to Tracy Island, she could fully feel the consequences of her fight with the Hood—and her encounter with Banino to get the magnetic repulser back for the GDF right before that. She couldn’t wait to get back home, take a shower to feel less yucky, don some comfy pajamas and plonk into bed. Her body was tired, her head was tired, her heart was tired.

She shouldn’t complain. She had had most of what she wanted in the last few days. An undercover, preventive mission with Scott’s approval—of sorts, her uncle was finally caught and would spend the rest of his days at Parkmoor, and, now that that nightmare with him was over, she could truly concentrate on her real work at International Rescue, and not fear rejection from the four men she considered her brothers, and especially not from the fifth one, who she considered her...

Boyfriend?

Partner?

Love?

Soulmate?

They were definitely closer than friends; that kiss in the kitchen had certainly not been their last. She smiled. He practiced quite regularly and he knew exactly where her mouth was. And her hands. And her neck. She shivered at the thought.

After the GDF had left the island, Scott had joined her on Thunderbird Two’s runway. He had been quiet, saying they needed to finish the discussion that had started right before all Hell had broken loose. She agreed; better get this out of the way and explain herself as soon as she could.

He had sat with the others, silent but with an encouraging expression on his face. She was amazed that their chemistry and banter, already there before they became closer, had an even more intimate quality to it, and that their silent complicity was enhanced even more now. They hadn’t had much time alone in the last few days to talk but there was always a look or a touch... She wondered if they could find a few minutes before bed? She pressed her private comm channel button, signaling One, and smiled when she saw Scott’s hologram appear in front of her. “Hey there,” she greeted him.

He didn’t smile back. _“Yes?”_

Something was off. It could be that he was tired—he had been quite busy himself, but it wasn’t in his habit to answer in monosyllables.

“You alright?” she probed gently.

He stared at her for a moment, then asked: _“Why didn’t you say anything?”_

“About what?” she replied somewhat dumbly, all intimate and fluttery feelings leaving her body at hearing his curt tone of voice.

He was frowning. “ _I thought we had a deal. I agreed that you worked preventively, but you were supposed to let me know what was going on.”_

She sighed. “I’m sorry about that. I foolishly thought I could take care of my uncle before it came to what happened today.”

_“And it didn’t come to mind to share this with us? With me?”_

“Your father didn’t want me to talk about it—”

 _“Dad is_ gone _! It’s_ me _now! It’s the family now. We make decisions as a family. You should have said something.”_

“I wanted to. I had decided to tell you a few weeks ago. When you came back late and we had dinner together. And then you told me you were trusting me with what I wanted to do and I was just overjoyed with that and I have to admit that I just indulged myself in having a wonderful time with you. I figured I would get another opportunity to tell you. I didn’t.” She looked down. “I have to admit I was afraid of your reaction as well.”

_“It’s a little ironic that you’re the one who talked about trust all this time, don’t you think? You couldn’t manage to trust that I would listen to you and believe you? How can I be the partner who will side with you and support you if you don’t let me?”_

“I thought that’s what you were doing earlier in the lounge when you were sitting there and smiling at me. I felt supported then...” she tried.

_“I kept a straight face earlier in the lounge because I do believe you and the others believe you and it wasn’t the time to make a scene. But can I be privately upset and disappointed that your decision of keeping this to yourself complicated matters on several occasions and put you in danger when it could have been avoided?”_

She would have preferred him to be angry rather than disappointed, but said nothing. She was staring at the hologram, fighting the silly desire to put her hand on it to touch him; he would have only seen her with a raised hand anyway.

He looked at something on his viewing screens, then said: _“Virgil is hailing me. Gotta go,”_ before switching the comms off.

She continued staring at the now empty spot for a while. Scott didn’t call back.

***

When everyone was back in the lounge, Scott gave a very quick debriefing, congratulating everyone and thanking them for their good work. It was late, everyone was tired and he stated that the reports could wait until the following day.

Kayo had remained on the outside of the seat circle, still in uniform, but that could have been because she wanted to use her own shower and change in her room rather than use the hangar showers. She had walked in a little stiffly, he had noticed, probably anticipating a confrontation of some sort. She wasn’t going to get one from him. What they lived in private, whether it was happy, exciting or sad, was to remain private. He still wasn’t sure what he felt after the last couple of days. Fear, disappointment, relief, confusion, hurt... love... and to his surprise, a hint of lust.

He decided to stay in the lounge to do a little paperwork while his brothers left to get some well-deserved rest. He tried to look nonchalant when he saw Virgil engulf Kayo in one of his bear hugs, saying something to her in a low voice, but saw a flicker of something she wasn’t totally able to hide on her face when he touched her back. Scott’s senses were instantly on alert. Was she hurt?

She followed Virgil upstairs, keeping up with him but when she turned to reach her room, she slowed down noticeably. She would say something if she was hurt, wouldn’t she? _Not after the way you talked to her, you dolt, you know how she is_ , he told himself.

He paced around the desk for a moment, sat down, opened a file... looked up through the roof to see her room light on. He was able to force himself to look at the file again, but lasted about fifteen minutes and stood up, cursing his worried heart as he climbed up the stairs two by two.

***

Kayo had just sat at her desk to start on her report when she heard the knock on the door. She considered not answering, but knew Scott wouldn’t go away. It had to be him; the only other person who would have knocked at a time like this was Sally, and the sound would not have been as resolute. She stood up, trying to figure out what to say to him. If she was honest with herself, she didn’t want to say anything. She wanted to open the door and for him to swoop in and hold her and let her know it was going to be all right.

She did have girly-girl moments once in a while.

He did not swoop in, so she stood there for a few seconds, staring at his chest.

“You’re hurt,” he stated.

It wasn’t a question. He had noticed. She looked up and the angry frown on his face made her blood boil in defiance and disappointment. “So? Oh, that’s right, I mustn’t hide anything for you. I’m sorry.”

She turned around, taking a few steps toward the middle of the room and flung her unbound hair aside brusquely before raising the tank top she was wearing as a pajama to show him her back. He gasped and she heard the door close behind him as he walked to her.

She caught movement in the corner of her eye and saw their reflections in the mirror over her dresser. Scott’s expression had changed from angry to genuinely worried and her own anger flew out the window. He took the hem of her top to raise it further and she let him, clutching at the front part so that her breasts remained covered.

She had seen the large bruise on her back when she'd taken a shower earlier but she didn’t think it was that bad... He ran his other hand down her side, where the purplish-red line began and murmured: “Oh, Kitten...”

The unexpected use of a pet name, his fingers on her bare skin and his low voice were like caresses sending tingles all the way down to her toes.

“It’s just a bruise, it’ll go away in a few days,” she replied, almost in a whisper, still looking at him through the mirror.

“How did it happen?”

“I fell on the railing around the generator on Mateo Island. The line is where I hit the railing. I’m not sure what caused the other one under it. Might have been the railing again. I was a little busy at the time.”

There was another mark going down toward her hip, sprinkled with small red spots where some blood vessels had broken. His fingers followed it to the waistband of her sleeping shorts. She had set them lower on her hips to lessen the pain and she noticed with a little embarrassment that some of the lacy part of her underwear was peeking out when his thumb brushed against it.

“The Hood’s lucky I wasn’t there; I don’t think he would have been able to walk out on his own,” he grumbled, and knowing how quick to react he was, she had no doubt that he was right.

His thumb moved against the black lace; she wondered if it was intentional and had her answer when he bent down to kiss her back above the bruise. He let go of her top, letting it fall back down and kissed her between her shoulder blades. She closed her eyes, tilting her head to offer him her neck and he quickly found her most sensitive spot, making her sigh. “I was terrified to see him looming behind you, and you were pleading to me and I couldn’t—” he said between kisses.

“Shhh... he’s gone now,” she cooed, opening her eyes again when one of his arms went around her waist to embrace her gently.

The tips of his fingers went under the waistband of her shorts, just below her belly button and she watched them in the mirror, becoming wet at the thought of them traveling further down.

“Is the door locked?” she whispered.

He lifted his head and noticed where she was looking. “Do you want it to be?”

She bit her lip, then nodded.

(The full scene is [here](https://archiveofourown.org/works/26888410/chapters/65608801))

***

They knelt there for a while, embracing, catching their breaths. Kayo was running her fingers along the nape of Scott’s neck, making him feel relaxed, if not a little drowsy. He took a deep breath against her shoulder, taking in her warmth, her scent. Neither moved much. Neither really wanted to. After a while, she said: “I guess we should get off the floor.”

“Where you said you didn’t want to end up anyway,” he quipped.

“You provided impressive cushioning.”

He snorted in laughter. “Extremely glad to oblige.”

She finally stood up, saying “Be right back,” before kissing his head and heading for the en-suite. He struggled a bit to get up, glad that she couldn’t see how his knees were now killing him from staying in the same position for so long.

Kayo came back with a warm wet face cloth and cleaned him gently. “I made a mess when I stood up,” she commented.

“I take the blame too,” he replied, strangely touched by her gesture and the intimacy of it.

She pecked him on the lips, looking suddenly shy. “Are you staying?” she asked.

His smile reached his eyes and his dimples. “That’s very tempting actually.”

“I’m warning you, though, I might toss and turn to find a comfortable position.”

“I’m sure we can manage to make it work somehow,” he said reassuringly.

***

They had. There hadn’t even been any awkward “morning after” moment. Waking up on her side with her face against his shoulder and him having his arm between her breasts and resting his hand on her thigh as he lay on his back had felt more natural than she thought it would considering they had never spent the night together before. It must have been the years they had known each other that came into play.

She usually woke up right before her alarm clock went off; this time she was so relaxed that they both started when the shrill sound blared out. Scott, being closest to the offending object, reached out and grabbed it to shut it off with a grunt of protest. He glanced at the time and set the clock back on the nightstand with a huff (and what suspiciously sounded like a swear word), closing his eyes again.

“When do you think that I train?” she asked, amused.

“You’re nuts,” he said, making her chuckle.

This was so comfortable. She could get used to this _very quickly_.

She kissed his shoulder; he tilted his head toward her to kiss her back, but could only reach her forehead so he turned on his side, protesting a bit when his legs were tangled in the sheets and kicked the latter away.

“Let’s start over. Good morning. Did you sleep well?” he asked before proceeding with kissing her eyes, her nose, her brow.

She smiled, kissing him back when she could. “Yes. Good morning. Did you?”

He nodded while kissing her jaw, his hand running over her thigh. “How’s your back?”

“It should be fine if I’m polite with it today and don't lean against things.”

His hand moved further up her leg and made a spiral motion on her hip. He was deliberately slow and very gentle. Kayo wasn’t sure how he managed to relax her and arouse her at the same time—not that she was about to complain...

“Are you training today?” he asked again.

Interesting... He was trying to look innocent, but she had recognized the way he was looking at her. Cobalt was beginning to be one of her favorite colors. Kayo pretended to think. “Hmm... I don’t know yet. I usually do it after I wake up...”

He said nothing, but his fingers reached the area where her thigh and her buttock met and she bit her lip, snuggling closer to him and entwining her legs with his. “Are you trying to make me skip training?” she asked.

“Well maybe not skip it... postpone it?” he replied, nuzzling her neck.

(The full scene is [here](https://archiveofourown.org/works/26888410/chapters/65608885#workskin).)

***

“I don’t regret postponing my training at all,” she whispered.

He opened his eyes to look at her. There was mischief there, mixed with the slightly unfocused glaze of afterglow. “I hope it will happen again,” he said in the same way, “a lot.”

So did she, if she were honest with herself as well—it might be a good idea to consider a different training schedule, she thought, welcoming his slow and gentle kiss. He leant in, pushing her back onto the bed, and she happily went along with it until her bruises came in contact with the mattress and she jerked away in pain.

“Oh no, oh no! I’m sorry!” he apologized, scrambling to get off of her and the bed awkwardly and pulling on her arm to roll her back to a sideways position.

“It’s fine. I had forgotten about it as well actually.” She stood up next to him and sighed. “I guess we should get up anyway.”

“Yeah, I guess.”

He didn’t sound very convinced or motivated. He looked around to find where his clothes had landed the night before. “I’ll go make myself a little more presentable,” he added, scratching his rough cheek. “Meet you after in the kitchen? Or are you going to train?”

“I might do a few fan forms out on the terrace today. Something mild and slower.”

He had seen her do some of those kung fu routines before. They almost looked like a dance and were actually pretty enjoyable to watch. “Mind if I sit outside too?”

“If you want.”

He kissed her again, then chuckled. “I’m like a teenager on a first date, I just don’t want to leave.”

“I could make it even more difficult by saying that I’m going to hop into the shower real quick and that you’re welcome to join me?” she asked.

His heart did a happy dance when she smiled impishly and added “I can’t seem to let you go either.”

***

Gordon was doing laps in the pool when Scott arrived on the terrace with his laptop and his breakfast. He set them on the picnic table before going back inside for some coffee. He settled down and started with a quick look at the news before opening the report for the previous days’ mission. It was nice and sunny out; he should do this more often, he thought.

Something whacked him on the butt.

He looked up in surprise to see Kayo make away with a piece of toast she snatched from his plate. She was holding her fan in her other hand and he figured that’s what she hit him with.

“Well, excuse me!” he exclaimed at her and she waved her fan at him without even looking back, nibbling on her loot.

He wondered if she had the same silly smile on her face that he currently did.

Gordon had stopped swimming when he heard his brother shout and leant on the edge of the pool for a moment to exchange a few words with Kayo. He nodded at something she said and went back to his laps while she finished her toast and settled back further away to begin training. Scott tried to go back to his report but could not help but look up once in a while, trying to seem casual in case anyone saw him.

Virgil came out of the kitchen and joined him at the picnic table. “Morn’,” he said, taking a sip from his mug of coffee as he openly watched the young woman as she was balancing on one foot with the fan open in front of her.

“Good morning. What’s up?” Scott asked back, taking a few bites of his breakfast.

Virgil eyed his brother for a moment. He looked a little guarded, there was something there... but what? “I hope you didn’t move from dad’s desk to here with no sleep in between.” Virgil’s half-joking, half-scolding tone of voice also held a hint of worry.

“No, actually, I went upstairs shortly after you all did.”

“Good.”

Scott ate some more, not quite relaxed. Virgil took a sip of coffee and waited.

“Sorry about the rant last night when we were flying back. I know I shouldn’t have let it out on you like this,” Scott let out.

“You know I’m there if you need to vent.”

“I didn’t give you much of a choice.”

Virgil smiled as he felt his brother pat him on the shoulder in a silent thank you and continued: “I can see why you were upset but I still think the best thing to do if you have calmed down is to have a talk with Kayo, if anything so as not to cause problems in the team’s cohesion. You have to think about it from her perspective. She didn’t have any way of having a positive outcome about this. If she told us, she chanced being rejected and chased off the island and if she didn’t, it was putting pressure on her and could end up being dangerous for everyone. She did what she thought best under the circumstances.”

“I know... How could she think we’d chase her off?”

Virgil shrugged. “Wouldn’t be the first time that family has betrayed her.”

Scott watched Kayo do a particularly graceful turn and parry. His face fell a little. They hadn’t really talked—what they had done was better than talk, wasn’t it? She knew she was welcome and safe here, didn’t she? “No one is betraying her here and surely not chasing her away,” he stated.

“Glad we agree on that. Now we have to make sure _she_ knows it,” Virgil said, giving his brother a significant look.

Scott said nothing, still staring at the young woman. She lunged forward and remained perfectly still for a moment, before opening her fan with a determined flick of her wrist. She looked up, saw him and smiled before tossing the fan so that it flipped a full turn in front of her, catching it and turning to face the pool.

 _Oh...? Interesting... that smile clearly wasn’t for me_ , Virgil thought, curious about the silent exchange he had just witnessed but not wanting to intrude at the same time.

If things were moving along for Scott and Kayo, he was happy for them. He was trying to figure out a way to verify if his hunch was correct without pushing his older brother’s limits when Gordon exited the pool in a fluid movement and headed their way, grabbing a towel from a lounger as he passed. Questions would have to wait—Gordon wasn’t always delicate or discreet—but Virgil would still be on the lookout.

Gordon wrapped the towel around his waist before he sat at the table, snatching a piece of toast from Scott’s plate.

“Hey! Get your own!” Scott protested at that second attack on his breakfast in one sitting.

“You weren’t eating it,” Gordon replied.

“Because I’m _working_ and writing my report—I don’t see yours in the folder by the way...”

“You said we could do it today. You didn’t specify _when_ during the day. My schedule is precise and methodical so that I can fit everything in. I might have to shift things around or delegate other tasks.”

Virgil laughed. “If you typed faster by using more than two fingers, it might help,” he said.

Gordon narrowed his eyes. “I have other qualities, mister Fairy Hands.”

“You’re just waiting for Scott to finish his report and then you’ll add a couple of paragraphs.”

“He’s field commander, I follow his lead! I suppose you’re going to boast that your report is already in at this point?”

Virgil picked a piece of bacon from Scott’s plate, ignoring his older brother’s threatening look. “Well I wasn’t going to boast about it, but yeah, I wrote mine.”

Kayo, who had finished her last form, joined them at the table. She sat next to Gordon, across from Scott. “I suppose your report’s done too?” the blond asked her.

She gave him a strange look. “Of course. I wrote it right after I took a shower this morning.”

She eyed the plate on the table and with a dramatic sigh, Scott pushed it toward her. “Oh sure, she gets seconds,” Gordon muttered as Kayo took a piece of melon and popped it in her mouth before smiling smugly and standing up again, picking up the plate. “Thief!” Gordon called after her as she walked toward the kitchen.

“I’m getting some more, calm down,” she said before disappearing inside the villa.

Gordon watched her leave, then froze. “I didn’t just call her a thief the day after she revealed her family link with a dangerous criminal, did I?”

“Yep,” came Virgil and Scott’s simultaneous reply.

“Aw, crap,” he said, rushing up and going after her.

***

He skidded into the kitchen and Kayo, who was cutting cheese, looked up. “You know I didn’t mean that literally, don’t you?” he asked, his expressive face looking devastated.

She arched an eyebrow at him.

“You know this is brotherly banter, don’t you? You’re my favorite sister!”

“I’m your only sister, if you can call me that,” she commented with a lopsided smile.

“Of course, I’m calling you that!” he exclaimed, bouncing forward to hug her.

“I’m holding a knife! What’s wrong with you?” she protested, but she clearly sounded amused.

He hugged her tighter, then released her. “I’m serious. I’ve never doubted you before and I haven’t started when you told us about your unc—him. None of us do.”

“Thank you, Gordon,” she said, sincerely touched.

He tilted his head. “Speaking of him, though, Virgil and I wanted to go and see what we can retrieve from his ship. Brains will want to have a look at the technology, but we might rearrange the non-polluting parts like a wreck to see if we can create an artificial reef with it... I just wanted to run this by you first. If you want it out and never see it again, that’s fine. If you want us to wait, that’s fine too.”

“Well, if something good can come out of it, why not?”

“It’s your call. You can come with us to participate if you want to take it apart or you can stay away from it. You can think about it. No rush.”

She blinked inopportune tears away quickly, unprepared for the rush of emotions Gordon’s genuine and thoughtful offer brought. It was as if he had turned the page on that part of her life, telling her that all of the Tracys had her back as much as she had theirs and were truly welcoming her under their wing. She realized that as much as she needed Scott’s acceptance and trust (and other more intimate things), his brothers’ acceptance and trust mattered as well.

“When can we start?” she asked, glad that her voice didn’t betray her and feeling herself respond to his million-watt grin.


	4. Chapter 4

Scott saw Shadow fly by out of the corner of his eye as he spoke to the three geologists he had just saved _in extremis_ from... whoever or whatever that Mechanic guy was. He had told Kayo that she didn’t need to stay and patrol along and he would only be stopping shortly to drop them off and then head back home, but she had just stared at him through the comms and remained where she was.

Her stare hadn’t been a rebellion or a refusal to follow his instructions. She was angry, and worried, and was now in full mama-bear mode. He couldn’t blame her, honestly. He was angry and worried as well—and he was glad for her presence anyway.

Scott handed the geologists to the local EMT team that took charge of them, then climbed aboard One, lifting off as soon as everyone on the ground had cleared the area. Kayo flew around to reach his side and tipped Shadow’s wings a couple of times as a farewell to the people on the ground. Her hologram almost immediately popped up on their private comms channel as they headed out in the direction of Tracy Island. _“No trace of the Mechanic anywhere around. He fled like the coward he is before I could take care of him,”_ she let out, visibly irritated.

“You did manage to stop him and you gave me enough time to do the rescue. You did pretty good. Let the GDF do their job now.” Scott replied.

 _“He’s threatened Virgil and you. He’s on_ my _list now. I’ll dig out so much dirt and intel about the guy, next time he shows up—because he will—I’ll be ready. I’m not just going to sit around while he’s being a menace to those I care about.”_

He felt a little warm tremor in his chest at her words. “I thought you had collected data earlier?” he asked; he had been busy himself while she was trying to handle the Mechanic, but had been able to follow some of what was happening on her side.

_“That’s the start. I collected more that I didn’t have the time to send to Brains; I’ll get to it once we’re home. Perhaps Lady Penelope can help me to get more info.”_

“Well, you know what I have to say about that.”

 _“That I have to make sure not to get hurt and not to get caught if I go to places I shouldn’t be going to?_ ” she replied with a lopsided smile.

He tried to give her a stern look but failed. “That’s not exactly it...”

_“And that I should thank you for letting me handle that guy in my own way but I have to remember to tell you what I intend to do?”_

_H_ e was sure he could see a twinkle in her eye despite the slight fuzziness of the hologram _._

_“Did I mention how good it felt that you agreed with my plan of action this morning before we left?”_

“Why wouldn’t I have? It was a perfectly sensible plan and it was exactly what we needed. Besides, I really like working with you on the field. It doesn’t happen often enough. I didn’t even have to tell you how I needed your help today and yet there you were, ready to take me to the rescue site, dropping me at the exact location I needed and making sure I could get those guys out. Plus, you saved my butt. Literally. I think the Mechanic was aiming right where it was going to hurt.”

 _“Well, I couldn’t let anything happen to my favorite toys, now, could I?”_ she said with a wink.

He chuckled. “Your favorite toys are quite grateful, and so am I.”

_“I’ll have to check them later on to make sure there’s no damage.”_

Flirty Kayo had been a surprise. She never came out if someone else was there or in public, but when they were alone, she was more playful—without letting go of her sarcasm and wit—and her natural sensuality was even more obvious. In the too few occasions they had managed to find some time for intimacy—apparently living in the same house didn’t guarantee some quiet time alone—she had been a willing and enthusiastic partner in bed. Such a comment coming out of her mouth was proof of how at ease they were becoming with each other and how unafraid she was of stating what she wanted. Scott loved that about her... He loved a lot of things about her. He almost blurted out those three little, fateful, words out right then and there but held back at the last moment. Not the right place, not the right time. Joking and flirting was safer for now. “Yeah, you should really check. I fell down pretty hard,” he said.

She made a little concerned sound. _“Oh no, it might have cut the blood flow!”_

Something in the way she spoke and looked gave him proof that it had _not_. He shifted uncomfortably in his seat for a moment, but couldn’t help playing along: “Any idea how you’ll do that?” he asked.

“ _Hmm..._ ” she looked thoughtful. “ _I might have one or two..._ ”

“Anything you want to share?”

“ _That’s not fun... maybe I want_ you _to shiver in want and anticipation too._ ”

She lowered her gaze but not out of shyness. _She was checking his hologram out_. He gripped the controls in front of him firmly to hide the fact that she had succeeded in less than ten seconds.

“ _Race you to the island?_ ” she added.

“What do I get when I win?”

“ _Feeling confident, aren’t you?_ ”

She didn’t wait a second longer and engaged Shadow’s afterburners, leaving One behind for the very short moment it took Scott to react. “Oh no, you don’t!” he exclaimed, his smile clearly showing through his voice.

They raced and bantered merrily until banking to approach their respective landing spots on Tracy Island gave them a first glance at Two’s massive shape covered in fire-fighting foam as she lay on her strip like a crippled creature. The mood instantly changed and both Scott and Kayo sobered up as they took in the seriousness of the situation.

“ _Poor Virgil,_ ” Kayo murmured.

Scott said nothing, his face set in a grim expression. They already knew that his brother was safe and not seriously injured from earlier communications, but seeing his ‘bird like that was still a shock.

Both went through the motions of landing and post-flight checks automatically as they were so used to doing them, they didn’t have to think much. Then, Kayo opened Shadow’s canopy and exited the bike when it lowered itself, leaving her helmet on the seat, and walked off the platform. Scott, who was on his own platform, saw her and went down the stairs to join her. He knew exactly where she was going.

They walked silently side by side toward Two’s hangar. Their footsteps echoed in the large cave as they entered, the absence of the green behemoth making everything sound louder around them. The huge door was open at the other end of the room, letting in some of the sun’s light as the day was ending.

When they reached the door, they heard one of the small maintenance vehicles approach from behind them and turned to see Brains heading toward them with MAX in tow. The engineer slowed down, then stopped next to them. “I’m going to start the cleanup p-process right away,” he said, stepping out of the vehicle, “I’ll do a full damage report then and see how long it will take to do the repairs and have Thunderbird Two ready for launch again.”

Scott nodded with a small smile, then reached out to give the other man’s shoulder a friendly pat. “Because of your designs and safety consciousness, we once again avoided a disaster today and Virgil made it home safely. Thank you.”

“There are some of my d-designs that I would rather not have to use,” Brains commented, fiddling with his glasses and obviously ill at ease with the praise.

“We’re still grateful you thought of them,” Kayo said, “I will leave my communicator in your lab on my way out, is that alright with you?” she added, gesturing at her wrist.

“Yes, please. I’ll download the content. I’ll also retrieve the feed from your c-camera... am I going to get dizzy from watching it?”

It was the young woman’s turn to smile. “Probably.”

Brains made a face. “I’ll make sure I’m seated then.” He climbed aboard the vehicle. “I’ll see you both later for deb-briefing.”

Scott nodded in acknowledgement and the engineer left, MAX following and bleeping enthusiastically—as much as the robot could be enthusiastic. Kayo stepped closer to Scott and they stood there for a while, watching Brains work.

“I hope it seems worse than it actually is,” he said.

He looked down when she took his hand. She was not one to do public displays of affection in general, and even less so of the couple kind. They had both agreed to keep their newfound closeness to themselves for now, at least until they were certain the relationship was going to work, so he was surprised by her gesture.

“You have my word, I’ll get this guy,” she said in a low, yet determined voice.

His vengeful little angel... He knew it was wrong and that he should have scolded her, but it was difficult not to be on her side for this. He kissed her brow, leaving his mouth there for a moment and she tightened her fingers around his.

She sighed gently, then murmured: “I guess we should go get showered and changed.”

He hummed in agreement and tugged at her hand so that they headed back toward the hangar showers. They weren’t as personalized as each of the en-suites in their bedrooms, but it was nice to be able to clean up before going back to the house part of the villa after rougher missions.

Kayo kept his hand in hers for a few steps, but when they were further away from Brains—not that he was paying attention to them—she let go to put her arm around Scott’s waist. She had kidded about her “toys” being in danger earlier on, but actually being on the first-row seat aboard the Earthbreaker when he was running down below and having seen him fall had been somewhat of a shock. They all knew the theory of having dangerous jobs and taking risks; but seeing the others in said dangerous situations was still unnerving. “Sorry, I feel clingy,” she said, moving closer when he draped his arm around her shoulder.

“Don’t ever apologize for that. You can touch, hug, grab,” he stopped walking and turned to her, pecking her on the lips, “kiss me all you want, whenever you want, for whatever reason.”

She kissed him back for good measure, then backed away from him. “I’ll go drop this off in the lab, meet you back at the showers,” she said, before taking off at a brisk pace.

He was waiting for her when she arrived at the showers. He had removed his boots and baldric and taken some towels out from the linen closet.

“I thought you’d be almost done,” she commented.

He shrugged, giving her one of his devastating smiles. “Maybe you need help washing your hair.”

She winced in return. “I’m sorry... I don’t feel very kinky right now. I know what I said earlier, but—”

Scott stepped forward and cupped her face in his hands. “Nothing kinky has to happen. Nothing _at all_ has to happen.” He kissed her tenderly, in a way that wasn’t sexual, yet was very intimate. “Honestly, I don’t really feel kinky either and I just wanted to be close and be clingy too and it’s the first thing that came to mind—I’ll still do it if you want me to though!”

She tilted her head. “Hmm... Having someone wash my hair _does_ sound nice...” she shook her finger at him, “but you mustn’t get it tangled!”

“I’ll make sure to follow the instructions.”

She bit her lip, obviously holding back a comment, and went to retrieve her shampoo and soap from her shelf.

“What, what?” he asked, stopping halfway through removing his uniform and stood in the middle of the room with his hands on his hips.

“You, following instructions. I just find this very funny.”

He narrowed his eyes at her. “Look who’s talking.”

She stuck her tongue out at him, then stripped. Suiting up was a fast and efficient process; getting out of the uniforms wasn’t so elegant considering how tight fitting they were; she had a sympathetic thought for John for a moment.

The shower cabins weren’t very spacious, so they performed an interesting and slightly awkward dance so that both could wash without freezing over as they waited for their moment under the hot water. Kayo called it a rite of passage as a couple, and it was normal that she had more hot water time than he did as her hair was much longer than his. He gritted his teeth, not quite agreeing but not wanting to get yet more water in his eyes from her ablutions or any “accidental” gestures on her part. Besides, if he tilted his head a certain way, the view was _very_ nice. Not doing anything didn’t mean he couldn’t look…

In his enthusiasm about the situation, Scott had forgotten to take in his own soap and shampoo and ended up using hers—not that he actually cared as long as they did their job. “You know what that means, next thing will be toothbrushes at each other’s places,” he commented.

Kayo chuckled, but became thoughtful. “You know, it’s not such a bad id—hey!”

He had moved her out of the water’s trajectory to have his turn and she flinched when her butt touched the cold tiled wall.

“Hold on a second, I’ll just rinse off... there. All yours, Kitten.”

He kissed her once, twice, insisting a little when he felt her smile against his mouth, then left the cabin. She didn’t know if it was because he had become a little bored with the shower or because he was actually giving her some privacy time, but she decided that it was the second option because he was being gentlemanly.

Her theory was confirmed when she stepped out once she was done and he was waiting with an unfolded towel, which he wrapped around her. And when she saw that he had her spare clothes out and ready. And when he helped her dry and brush her hair. He was good at brushing hair. She had to remember that, and hope she’d muster up the courage to ask him to do it again in the future—she was bad at asking, she knew.

They took the lift to the villa in companionable silence and arrived in the kitchen where Gordon and Alan were busy making sandwiches for everyone. Not having dinner at the table was unfortunately more common than it should have been and sometimes by the time the day ended, all everyone only had energy for was something quick and simple.

“I made you your favorite, with just a hint of honey mustard,” Alan said to Kayo as he cut the sandwich he was making in half.

“Thank you, that’s sweet of you.”

He tried to hide his bashful smile, but a telltale flush spread on his cheeks and the tip of his ears. The baby of the family was growing up so fast... Kayo was aware of Alan’s crush on her and ignored it most of the time, trying not to give him hopes, but she wondered if she should be firmer now that the situation between Scott and herself had changed. The problem was that she wasn’t sure of how to go about it without hurting the young blond’s feelings—she was often accused of being an ice queen and was blunt and assertive most of the time—but this was different. It was Alan and she felt protective of him and did love him, in a sisterly way. She tucked the thought of probably needing to discuss this with Scott somewhere in her mind and helped carry the plates to the lounge.

They set the plates on Jeff’s desk for after debriefing, then took their place in the sitting area. Scott went straight for Virgil in the middle of the circle, while Kayo sat next to Sally, nodding in thanks to Brains who handed her her communicator back.

When he clearly saw that his brother was all right, Scott elbowed him teasingly. “Way to stick a landing, Virgil!” he exclaimed, smiling at his brother’s half-unimpressed, half-smiling look.

Brains, who was holding his scanning device, already had a picture of Two showing. “I expect Thunderbird Two to make a f-full recovery. I am however a little worried about the Mechanic. That machine of his was most impressive and not in a g-good way,” he said

“Any idea who he could be? He seems like he knows you,” Kayo asked.

Brains looked puzzled and mildly annoyed. “I haven’t a c-clue! The man behind that mask could be anyone.”

“But if the Hood is pulling his strings, it’s going to be twice the fun for all of us. We’ll have to keep on our toes,” Sally commented.

Scott looked at his grandmother and replied reassuringly: “Whatever the Hood and his... Mechanic had planned, it’s nothing that International Rescue can’t face.” He automatically switched to field commander mode as he continued: “Our first order of business: find out how he’s controlling the Mechanic and talking to the outside world. Then, we shut him down.”

He gave Kayo a quick look that meant he was letting her loose—or as loose as he could. She smiled in return, her mind already back to searching for clues. She stood up from the couch and went to Jeff’s desk, picking up her sandwich and distributing the rest before going back to sit at the computer.

Everyone else sat down on the remaining couches to eat and MAX scuttled along around the sitting area, putting back his pile of pillows where they belonged. Scott, unable to sit still for long, turned to Virgil. “Wanna go have a look to see if we can start some of the repairs tonight?” he asked between bites.

“I talked to John earlier, he said he will c-come down tomorrow to help with the electronics,” Brains said, “But anything we can start now will be a plus.”

“We’ll go help too!” Gordon exclaimed from where he was seated with Alan.

Sally looked at her youngest grandson, who was nodding enthusiastically and asked: “Is your homework done, young man?”

Alan hesitated just long enough for her to know the answer. She cocked an eyebrow at him and his shoulders sagged in defeat before he engulfed the rest of his sandwich in one giant, frustrated bite.

“Don’t worry, Al, there’ll be plenty to do tomorrow as well,” Virgil said, trying to be encouraging.

Scott, Virgil, Gordon and Brains left together, heading for the lift to the hangars and Alan headed sulkily for the kitchen area, under Sally’s watchful eye. The old woman stood up, but instead of following him downstairs, went to Jeff’s desk. She put a hand on Kayo’s shoulder and gave it an affectionate squeeze. “I wish he was safely away and that those problems were behind us, aside from court proceedings.” she said.

“It was to be expected. Kyranos don’t go down without a fight. At least this time, I can be open about what I’ll do about it. Only more things piling up on his file for when the actual court date comes up.”

Sally reached out and gave the younger woman a one-armed hug. To her surprise, she was briefly hugged back. The situation was troubling Kayo more than the young woman wanted to let show, but, ironically, she was a Kyrano as well, so she was already up and fighting.

“Remember, dear, you’re not alone,” Sally said, letting go of her.

“I know. Thank you.”

“And I hope you have noticed how Scott looked at you earlier and that it took care of any doubt you might still have about how he feels about you.” She gaped in surprise when she saw Kayo’s mischievous expression, but recovered quickly. “I see... never mind then,” she added happily, before heading toward the stairs.

Kayo was still smiling when John’s hologram appeared on the desk, earning herself a quirked copper eyebrow in return.

***

Virgil stood in the lift next to his brothers and Brains, waiting to reach the hangar level. It was slower than going through the chutes so his mind wandered off a bit to his ‘bird. Poor girl. Took him bravely and safely home... Two was like an extension of himself and he knew that seeing her charred and wounded would be almost physically painful.

The lift jolted. Scott, who was next to him, tried to brace himself but still bumped into him and excused himself. Brains commented about having to look at whatever had made the lift move like this, but Virgil’s attention was drawn to his brother. He tilted his head, trying to be as inconspicuous as he could, and took a deep breath. Was that...?

His brother’s hair smelled like _Kayo’s_.

_Ooooh..._

Virgil’s mouth twitched as he suppressed a grin. As if sensing something, Scott gave him an inquisitive look, but Virgil, unsure of what to do with this interesting piece of information yet, chose to act as if he hadn’t noticed.

The lift stopped and the door opened to let everyone out. Scott put a comforting arm around Virgil’s shoulders, unaware that he was sending another whiff of the flowery aroma toward his brother. This time, he couldn’t hold back a smile.

“What?” Scott asked in a low voice, slowing down to let Brains and Gordon walk ahead of them. “What’s so funny?”

Virgil hesitated, before he laid out his trap: “You know Kayo will be pissed if she finds out you stole her fancy hair products.”

“I didn’t st—” Scott narrowed his eyes at his brother, who chuckled in return.

“You walked right into that.”

To his surprise, Scott said nothing, but his arm dropped back to his side and his expression became a little wary. Was he preparing to be teased? Yelled at? Disapproved of? “I just forgot my shampoo earlier and—”

“Bro, you don’t have to justify yourself. You’re both adults, you do whatever you want. And it’s about time, if you ask me.”

“That I use her hair products?” Scott asked, but he was smiling.

“Wise guy.” Virgil thumped his brother on the shoulder hard enough for Scott to nearly tumble forward. “Who made the first move? You have both been circling around each other forever.”

“I... I’m not sure. It just happened a few weeks ago. We had dinner alone, she gave me dessert, I kissed her, she kissed me—nothing extraordinary, really. We’re taking it slow, seeing if it’s working. Seems to be so far.”

“What about going on dates?”

“With the kind of schedule that we have?”

Virgil started walking toward the hangars again. “Still, you need some time together if you want to make this work.”

“As I said, we’re seeing if this is working with our normal lives. Or whatever passes as normal here,” Scott commented, following him.

They reached the large cave in silence. Brains had towed Two back inside and had removed the module. Both him and Gordon were busy a little further away. Virgil took in the state of his ship and grimaced. “Well, looks like I’m not going anywhere soon...” he sighed, then looked at his brother. “Wanna swap supply run trips with me this week? You could take the jet. And, you know, stop somewhere to eat, catch a movie, that kind of thing. If you two can tear yourselves away from work long enough that is.”

Scott smiled despite the gentle rebuke. “Thank you. Your approval means a lot to me.”

“I’m happy for you. Just don’t make her cry though because I’ll kick your butt. Brother or not.”

The attack came in so quickly Virgil couldn’t avoid it and cried out in protest as Scott grabbed him in a headlock to mess his hair up. They brawled for a little while, neither of them wanting to give in but both obviously enjoying the moment.

As he stood next to one of Two’s charred VTOL engines, Gordon looked up as he heard the commotion. He smiled at the sight of his two eldest and often too serious brothers laughing and having fun, before starting to advise Virgil on how to get the upper hand under his breath while Brains looked on with a slightly perplexed expression on his face.

***

They worked for longer than expected—one more thing for today, why not finish that other task while they were at it—and came back upstairs to find an empty lounge and the lights dimmed. Scott glanced quickly at the upper floors of the villa to see that the lights in Kayo’s room were on. She had probably done her security checks already and was reading quietly... or waiting for him? He didn’t stop at her floor as everyone was going to their rooms at the same time and it would have looked suspicious, but he already knew he was going back downstairs as soon as everyone else had gotten to their rooms. He was becoming addicted to spending the night with her—whether it was just for sleeping or something more—and wondered if they would have a more permanent setting at some point. He hoped so.

He had just changed into some sleeping pants and finished brushing his teeth when he heard a soft knock on his door. The sound made him happy in the silliest way and he nearly hopped over to answer. Kayo was standing outside, wearing an old, faded t-shirt and shorts and was barefoot, which probably contributed even more to her usual stealth. “I still feel clingy. Do you have a little corner for me to settle in?” she asked in a whisper.

He couldn’t resist kissing her before whispering back: “One, you don’t have to knock. Two, you don’t have to ask. Three, do you have a toothbrush to put in my holder?”

She snorted and tried to cover the noise with her hand. “That was Gordon-level bad,” she commented, but actually held up a brush she had taken from the supply cabinet where they stocked surplus soaps and toiletries when they went on supply runs.

“You may pass,” he quipped, closing the door behind her.

She went to put the toothbrush in the holder on the sink and when she came back, Scott was sitting on the side of the bed in his underwear—he only wore the sleeping pants to walk around the house—and holding his alarm clock. “Are you training tomorrow?” he asked, ready to change the time on it.

“Yes, but you don’t have to get up at the same time I do,” she said, leaning in to kiss his cheek.

“Maybe I’ll get inspired and go too.”

Kayo walked to the other side of the bed. “You’re welcome to,” she said, settling in under the blankets while he turned the lights off and lay down as well.

Scott hugged her close, careful so as not to pull on her hair, and started stroking her back slowly when she did the same to his chest, matching her movements. It was soothing and he held back a yawn.

“Was Virgil okay?” she asked in a hushed tone, lulled by his gentle caresses as well.

Scott kissed her head. “Yeah, he’ll be fine. He kept praising how Two had behaved perfectly considering the circumstances. We’ll continue the repairs tomorrow after John arrives.”

She nodded into his chest. “I’ll help too.”

“No search?”

“I’ll be waiting for replies, might as well stay busy. You know me, I need to be occupied otherwise I’ll be restless.”

He ran his fingers through her hair, from her head all the way down to the small of her back a few times. “Virgil knows about us,” he said quietly.

She didn’t move at first and he wondered if she had fallen asleep, but then she asked: “Did he seem all right with it?”

“He was wondering what took us so long.”

She shrugged as much as she could in her current position. “Fear of rejection.”

“Yeah... same here. I feel a little stupid now.”

“It’s always easier in the eyes of those looking in from the outside of the situation.” She kissed his chest. “Your grandmother knows as well. I think she was ready to lock us up somewhere until something happened, so she seemed relieved.”

His hand stopped where it was. “Doesn’t sound like a bad idea. Maybe we should’ve let her do it. We’d stay there a while, make out a bit, then come out to a couple of slightly raunchy comments from Gordon and that would take care of that. We’d be exposed and wouldn’t have to sneak around at night as if we were ashamed of what we’re doing.”

She shifted around to lean her chin on his chest and watch him as much as she could in the darkness. “What about Alan?” she asked.

“What about him?”

She sighed. “He’s crushing on me.”

“Can you blame him?”

She pulled on some of his chest hairs, annoyed. “This is serious!”

“Ow! I know! I know...”

She rubbed the spot absently as if to apologize. “It’s my fault, I should have been firmer about this earlier on... I thought that by not encouraging him he would just grow out of it and with the age difference he would lose interest.”

“It’s not your fault.”

“Alan is so sweet; it just breaks my heart that I’ll have to clearly reject him. I don’t know how I’ll go about this.”

“He won’t have much of a choice but to adapt once we make this official. I know you don’t like public displays of affection, but I do like the idea of not having to hold back from hugging you or kissing you when I feel like it, I won’t lie...”

“It’s not that I don’t like them. It’s just that I was brought up differently from you guys. It’s not natural for me and it leaves me open and vulnerable. Besides, I’m pretty sure no one wants to see us snogging in the lounge.”

“You know that’s not what I meant. Making out in the lounge is only for when no one’s there.” He clapped his hand over hers as she prepared to pull again. “Maybe I can talk to him?”

“And say what, back off, she’s mine? The very last thing I want is to cause a fight between you two. I’m warning you. If this causes a fight, I’m backing out and leaving.”

“Kitten...”

“I love you with all my heart, but Alan is your brother and that should come first.”

The room grew quiet. She couldn’t see much of his expression because it was too dark, but she felt his heartbeat speed up under her hand. Kayo knew she wasn’t a romantic person. She knew it wasn’t the best moment to profess her feelings for him but it had just come out naturally. She waited, not regretting what she said, but still trying to block the nagging stab of worry that his silence brought.

He let out a little, almost desperate laugh. “You’re making me want to make out with you in the lounge even more now.”

He was turning this into a joke? Was he brushing off her declaration, as plain and as unromantic as it was? She stiffened, hurt, and started to move away from him when he continued: “I fell in love with you when you stood in front of me across from dad’s desk and told me you were taking over your father’s duties after dad disappeared.”

That had been years ago... She was so stunned by his words that she was left speechless, letting him flip her onto her back.

“I just hope that now that you’ve pretty much given me the permission to voice it out loud, you won’t grow tired of hearing me say it,” he continued, planting kisses everywhere he could reach, punctuating each of them with a soft “I love you.” He traced her jaw with soft pecks, reaching her mouth and lingered there for a longer, delicious while, before saying: “You won’t be leaving anytime soon if I have anything to say about it. We’ll find something, I promise.”

She held him closer, her body welcoming the weight of his on top of hers and her mind welcoming the thought that she might have to skip training if she was to get some decent sleep that night.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which you have to make the best out of every situation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Companion file is back with this chapter. As for any chapter where it's there, I have tried to remove the explicit things as best as I could to retain the M rating and the continuity of the story (and provide links if you *do* want to read them), but I cannot guarantee that they don't also contain details that will be mentioned later on. I want to apologize for that in advance but I can also understand that not everyone want to read this type of content.

Scott was sitting in the lounge, his arm casually draped over the couch’s backrest, looking for something to watch on the holoprojector. Alan wouldn’t communicate with the island for a while unless there was trouble—although none was expected at this point—and all there was left to do was to wait.

He saw Kayo climb up the stairs from the kitchen and smiled at her when she approached the seating circle. She had barely set foot onto the carpeted area when the communication channel opened to reveal Alan and John, apparently in the middle of a discussion:

 _“Don’t worry, I’ll keep your secret,”_ John stated.

 _“Mine? What about yours?”_ Alan asked back, looking mildly annoyed.

Scott and Kayo exchanged a confused glance across their holograms. They must've activated the comms by mistake…

 _“I’m just saying Kayo never has to know you’re scared of ghosts…”_ John continued in an uncharacteristically playful tone of voice.

 _“Me? Yeah, right!”_ Alan sputtered. _“But I won’t tell Scott that_ you’re _scared of ghosts!”_

Scott saw that Kayo had crossed her arms over her chest and felt he had to intervene. “Uh, you both know that we can see you, right?” he said.

The two astronauts started and looked momentarily flustered.

 _“Ahh, just kidding, Scott!”_ John mumbled.

 _“Yeah! Ha! Kidding! Ghosts, riiight…”_ Alan let out an embarrassed laugh.

“Are you on your way back?” Kayo asked, cutting off their strange banter.

_“Yes, ETA, two and a half hours. John is coming in with me and will go back up with the elevator after debriefing.”_

“And dinner, I hope?” Scott asked.

 _“Depends on who’s cooking.”_ The twinkle in John’s eye took some credibility away from his deadpan expression.

“It’s Gordon’s turn. He’s making salmon.”

_“I’ll think about it.”_

_“Don’t worry, we’ll both be there. I’ll get back to you when we’re on our final approach. Thunderbird Three, out,”_ Alan said before cutting the communication.

Kayo walked to the couch and sat down next to Scott. “What was that about? Ghosts?”

“I have _no_ idea.” He slid his hand from the couch to her lower back, rubbing her spine gently. “It’s a good thing John's coming over. I’ll have a talk with him so that he doesn’t encourage Alan.”

“Yes, that might be a good idea.” She arched her back against his touch, closing her eyes in delight. “John almost looked hyper. I wonder what happened?” she said, trying to keep the conversation going even if her mind was wandering off.

“Maybe he’s just happy to have finally made an outing with his flight suit. Or it’s that weird euphoric state we get into after saving someone. That never gets old.”

He let go of the remote and reclined on the cushions on one side of the couch. “C’mere,” he prompted her, lifting his arm for her.

She lay down with him, settling in more comfortably, resting her head on his chest and losing any interest in the old movie that was currently playing on the holoprojector as soon as his hand returned to her back and shoulders. She couldn’t help the purr that escaped her lips when his fingertips reached the hairs at the nape of her neck and made small circles on the soft skin.

He caressed her neck a little but she knew what he was aiming for and smiled knowingly when he pulled on her hairband to untie her ponytail. He called her hair his guilty pleasure and untied it as often as he thought he could get away with—she had to admit that his brushing skills were unparalleled and they had led to something more a few times...

They lay quietly for a while, with the movie still playing in the background, until Scott murmured: “You know, they won’t get home right away...”

Her smile broadened. “Something tells me you’re not interested in watching telly anymore.”

“Hmmm...” He tilted her chin up using his finger and moved in to kiss her lips. “Let’s go somewhere else,” he whispered, letting go of her when she nodded silently.

She stood up and held out her hand to him. Shutting down the holoprojector quickly, he took the proffered hand and used the momentum she gave him to get up, following her to the edge of the seating circle. Once he arrived on the steps, he held back when she was up on the main floor and he was still on the last step. She turned around. “What is it?” she asked.

He gave her a knee-weakening smile. “Nothing. I just feel like doing this.”

He cupped her face in his hands, kissing her slowly, licking her lip to request access to her mouth. Kayo went along more than willingly, letting him explore, her own tongue fluttering against his, reaching out to touch him with eager hands.

His chest was warm and firm under her fingers; she let them explore, scratching lightly at one of his nipples through his shirt and being rewarded by a sharp intake of air and a short moan that vibrated through her with the effect of a powerful aphrodisiac.

He climbed the remaining step, pushing her toward the access to the upper floors, still kissing her as he did. Her fingers slid down his abs to his waist, tightened on the light blue fabric when his mouth began to trail down her jaw and neck, and undid the bottom button of his shirt when he reached the crook of her neck. She continued her exploration, under his shirt this time.

“We won’t make it to the bedroom if you keep doing that,” he commented between kisses.

She smiled impishly, then undid the next button, watching his reaction. She was craving cobalt by then and seeing the darker hue in his eyes sent thrills down her spine. He pushed her again, but subtly changed direction and she was surprised to feel a wall against her back after a couple of steps. He had pushed her up against his chute door. They _weren’t_ going to a bedroom. The logical thing would have been to protest and insist that they did. Instead, her brain decided to show her a mental image of Scott having the wall turn and taking her right there standing against it.

She breathed out a “yes...” when he placed his feet on each side of her on the revolving platform, molding his body against hers. His erection was pressing against her belly, teasing her, and she was certain that he rocked his hips against her when he rested his elbows on the wall, next to her head.

“Pull on the lamps,” he whispered against her lips.

She tilted her head so that their mouths touched and he was kissing her again in an instant, only shifting slightly when she reached out on each side of his shoulders to bring down the lamps and make the platform turn. It stopped on the other side with a jolt and Kayo released the lamps slowly, letting them slide back into the wall.

He backed away from her a little, but remained close enough so that she could feel the heat from his body against hers, drawing her in. They shared a conspiratorial smile. “This is going to sound very corny,” he whispered, “But I’ve been fantasizing about doing this for a while.”

It _was_ corny, but her body reacted to his words still. She welcomed the warmth that spread through her core, wondering if this chute was the only location he had fantasized about. There was something about being where you weren’t supposed to be to do certain things, she had to admit...

She stepped forward, pushing him a little so that she had enough room to remove her shirt in one swift movement. He followed her lead and unfastened the remaining buttons on his own shirt and shrugged it off, letting it fall to his feet.

“So, what happened in your fantasy?” she asked, kissing the cleft in his chin.

“Well, I never expected it to happen, so I never really went into details. Aside from, you know... pretty basic stuff…”

“I can’t fulfill it if I don’t know, Biscotti,” she insisted, poking at his stomach and making him back up again.

He dragged his fingers along the curve of her breast over her sports bra. “You’re doing a pretty good job at fulfilling it already...”

She bit her lip, kissed him lightly, then grabbed the sides of her bra to pull it over her head, taking a step further toward him. His hands were on her again before the garment hit the floor, his fingers brushing against her skin and leaving goosebumps in their wake.

“God, I want you so much,” he whispered harshly, before sliding his hands all the way down her thighs and lifting her against him; she wrapped her legs around his waist to hold herself there.

He kissed her jaw, her throat, let his tongue trail down toward her newly freed breasts. Her fingers found their way to his hair, stroking, running through them, clenching down at the back of his head when he took one of the satiny globes in his hand to give it more attention.

He was so busy exploring her that he started when he bumped into something behind him.

“Uniform support,” Kayo provided, stretching out her arm to reach the far side of the lift and prevent him from backing up further, and hitting his head.

She bent her head down to kiss him, but as soon as their lips met, they felt a jolt and, before either of them could do anything about it, the lift started going down to initiate the launch sequence. They scrambled apart quickly, Scott uttering an “Oh crap!” under his breath, caught unawares by the sudden drop.

He hurried to hit the manual override on the wall and the lift came to a stop with a soft ping. They both looked up through the open part of the lift, then at each other, chuckling despite themselves.

“Oops,” Kayo said.

“Sorry about that, kinda killed the mood...”

She tilted her head, giving him a speculative look. “Did it?”

(The full scene is [here](https://archiveofourown.org/works/26888410/chapters/65608801))

***

“Can you imagine if there had been an emergency?” she mused.

“I don’t want to. Please leave me to my fantasy world.”

She tittered but tilted her head back so it rested against his. When she opened her eyes again, she spotted her bra on the floor where it had landed. She wanted to stay in the fantasy world too but it would be wiser to exit the lift... A quick survey of the rest of the cabin alerted her to the fact that it was the only garment there... “Where are our shirts?”

Scott stopped kissing her. They looked at each other, then upwards toward through the lift ceiling.

“Oops again,” Kayo quipped, sounding amused.

“We’ll just go back up for them. Although I don’t know if Virg is still in the lounge.” He stepped away from her and went to pick up the dark garment. “If push comes to shove, we can go downwards and you could just wear your bra. That thing is so covering it’s like body armor,” he added, handing it to her.

She frowned, almost looking offended. “What’s wrong with it?” she asked, taking it from him.

“Nothing, it’s just... it looks like one of your training tops.” Scott had the bad feeling he had just stepped into something unpleasant and his mind frantically began to look for placating words. “It’s not the frilly stuff girls usually wear.” He wasn’t sure he was improving his situation...

“It’s functional. I need to be ready if there’s an emergency. It’s not the time to have things flapping around when I’m rescuing someone or running after a bad guy.”

“Well you’re right, lace would be more flattering, but not as practical.”

She put the bra on, her movements a little stiff, then flipped her hair free from it. “You knew what you were getting into from the start. I’m not fancy, I’m not into dresses, I’m not into frills. What you see is what you get. You didn’t get the pretty one who makes efforts to be attractive. Sorry. I have a job to do.”

He straightened up to his full height and his expression became serious. Cupping her face in his hands, he made sure she was looking at him. “Trust me, I love what I see, I love what I’m getting—you’re the one I want. You’re perfect. Don’t you dare think differently.”

He kissed her, his lips very gentle against hers. “And don’t you dare say you’re not pretty—what the heck. You’re gorgeous. All I meant was that it looks like one of your training tops and that if Virg is still there and we have to go to the hangar, you could walk around the way you currently are. There’s nothing more to it, no afterthought, nothing your wild imagination seems to be conjuring up.”

He went to press on the manual controls in the wall panel and the lift began to rise. They waited in silence for the process to complete, then found their remaining clothes, which were lying close to the lamp platform.

“I’ll just go out first and check if Virgil’s there,” Scott said as he buttoned his shirt; Kayo nodded wordlessly and stood to the side to wait.

The lounge was deserted and he stopped the platform halfway. “Coast is clear,” he stated with a conspiratorial smile.

Kayo’s usual tactic when she was upset about something was to retreat in silence. To any usual bystander, she might have looked fine, but Scott recognized the expression on her face. He held up his arm to block her way out when she approached the platform and tried to squeeze through in front of him. “Forget I said anything. This is just silly. I love you,” he said.

He bent his head to seek her lips, gentle but insistent, until she smiled against his mouth.

“I get it... I’m pretty and my non-perky boobs are pretty,” she replied with a lopsided smile.

“You’re beautiful and your boobs are perfect and delicious and perky when they need to be and I love them too.”

She rolled her eyes at him and ducked under his arm to exit the chute. Scott pulled on the lamps to complete the rotation and followed her upstairs. She waited for him to catch up with her once on her level and kissed him back. “Love you too, Biscotti,” she murmured before heading for her room.

 _Never talk about the bra—or any piece of clothing—again_ , Scott scolded himself as he watched her go.

***

Scott couldn’t believe it. Everyone was sitting at the table eating dessert and were planning to sit in the lounge and watch a movie—even John! He wondered if he should take a picture or two to commemorate the moment. He also couldn’t believe that Virgil hadn’t asked about the “maintenance job” in the lift—Scott wasn’t sure he could come up with a convincing answer and was praying his brother would forget about it.

He had tried not to pay any more attention to Kayo than usual so as not to draw attention to her, but it was difficult. While he had changed, the thought that she had given _him_ a pet name had creeped up on him and it had made him ridiculously happy. He wondered if he was going to be able to sit next to her in the couch circle and use a convenient pillow to hide that he was holding her hand or touching her leg. It was childish and dodgy but he couldn’t help himself and had to suppress yet another silly grin as he waited for the popcorn to finish popping in the microwave.

He found out that he actually had to suppress a frown of frustration when he arrived in the lounge to see that Alan was already seated next to her, unaware that he was separating them, waiting eagerly for the movie to start. He exchanged a quick glance with Kayo and chose another seat next to his grandmother. The old woman patted his leg, out of affection or sympathy, he wasn’t sure, but didn’t comment.

He tried to concentrate on the image the holoprojector was sending and did to a point, until he saw from the corner of his eye that the young woman had her eyes closed and was sagging slowly toward Alan. His youngest brother had noticed as well and was trying to hide the fact that he was extremely pleased with the situation.

 _Don’t look so proud, she’s falling asleep because of_ me, Scott silently bragged to his brother.

Scott wasn’t sure if it was true or not but it did flatter his ego to believe it.

The movie ended and everyone began to get up to prepare for bed. Alan remained where he was so as not to disturb Kayo, who had fully fallen asleep against his shoulder. Scott tried to hide his irritation and approached them to rouse her, but Alan raised his hand to stop him. “Just leave her. I’ll wait. I don’t mind,” he whispered.

Scott frowned but his baby brother’s gaze was steady, determined and a little... threatening? _Alan was... defending his turf?_

Scott blinked, taken aback by this revelation. This was bad and he had the feeling that things had just gotten more complicated. Unfortunately, he couldn’t really say anything because it would turn ugly really fast and everyone else was still within hearing range, so he chose to back down. He raised his hands in surrender, said nothing, crossed the circle again, avoided his grandmother’s gaze and went to sit at his father’s desk to do the last news and Tracy business check before bed.

The others left quietly for their own rooms. Alan settled down where he was, picking up his tablet that he had left on the side table, and read silently. Scott had to admit he was lingering a bit and working slower than usual in hopes that Kayo would wake up, but by the time he was done, she was still sleeping. This was ridiculous. “You have class tomorrow morning, Al, come on,” he said, raising his voice.

Alan narrowed his eyes in warning but Scott’s words had the desired effect. Kayo woke up, blinking groggily, then sat up straight when she realized where she was. “I’m sorry, you should have poked me,” she told the teenager, looking a little flustered.

“It’s fine. I didn’t mind, Scott is just being a jerk,” Alan commented and she had to make an effort not to react.

“It _is_ late, Alan. I’ll do my safety checks and I’m off to bed too. You guys go right ahead. Don’t wait up.”

Scott stood up and stepped away from the desk. “All yours, K-ayo,” he caught himself at the last moment and hoped his brother hadn’t noticed.

She watched them leave, Alan walking ahead of his brother and apparently still irritated at him. She was embarrassed and worried that she had fallen asleep on him and wondered what had happened because there was visible tension between the two. She would have to sneak into her partner’s room to get his version of the story later on.

***

Scott had ended up sneaking into her room instead and had not been very talkative about the situation, saying something about Alan trying to play with the big boys but not to worry about it. She had not felt reassured at all and despite being very comfortable in his arms, Kayo had had a hard time falling asleep.

She was saved from her morning training session by one of her contacts in California calling, forgetting that it was very early in the morning on Tracy Island. Kayo was already up by then however and exited the room silently, leaving Scott to rest for a little longer.

She'd ended her call by the time she reached the kitchen, where she found John—who had decided to stay on Earth for the night. He was sitting at the table, apparently engrossed in whatever he was consulting on his tablet, but looked up when he heard her come in and smiled in greeting. She didn’t miss the flick of his long, graceful fingers on the screen but chose to store this information for later. “Good morning, have you had breakfast yet?” she asked.

“I've had coffee.”

Kayo rolled her eyes at him, then went to put a bagel in the toaster. She prepared a plate of cut fruit and pieces of cheese that she brought to the table, along with the coffee pot and a mug for herself. “I really hope EOS makes sure you don’t forget to eat when you’re on Five. And if she doesn’t, I’ll instruct her to do so,” she commented, placing the plate where he could reach it, then topping up his mug and filling her own.

The best way to make sure he ate something while he was in work/surveillance mode was to have it ready for consumption. Her theory was validated when he popped a piece of orange in his mouth.

“I’m still consulting with her about this you know,” she stated.

He said nothing, but seemed greatly amused by her words. He had been in a particularly good mood ever since he came back from his mission with Alan and while Kayo was happy to see him like this, she was beginning to wonder if something had happened while he was on the space station.

“What are you working on?” she asked, pouring herself a bowl of cereal and buttering the bagel for him.

“I’ve been having a look at that data you collected about the Mechanic. Usually there’s a signature, something common or typical that becomes one’s pattern. That’s how I recognized that EOS was a part of code I wrote,” he began.

Kayo sat next to him at the table, listening. She put the bagel next to John’s arm and he reached for a piece without even looking at it.

“Some of it is encrypted and EOS is working on that. Once she finds the protocol the Mechanic used, we’ll analyze both the code and the protocol and try to match it with existing banks of open code and research facilities.”

“Wouldn’t you need official access to search those?”

He gave her a noncommittal grunt, sipping his coffee. Kayo smiled.

Ah.

Scott might have said something to his brother about the morality of delving into somewhat dodgy IT practices. She was not Scott.

“I’d extend my search to cybernetics labs and neurological study centers. Brains said the Mechanic had a neural link with his machine and I saw him basically orchestrate his machinery and his mechas with his hands until I unplugged him,” she said, “Let me know if there’s anything I can do to help.”

John smiled back, his eyes not leaving the screen. “Will do. I know it’s a little far-fetched, but if we can identify the code, we might find out where it comes from and who he is. Or at least narrow down our search.”

They ate in silence for a moment.

“I have tried to identify the tattoos he has on his shoulders and back, even asked some external sources. No one recognized the pattern. It looks like it could be a mix of a few things,” she said.

“What about a university faculty logo?”

“Wouldn’t this be too easy to recognize? Might as well walk around with an advertisement board on his back.”

John shrugged. “We’ve all done stupid things when we were younger, garish tattoos are often at the top of the list,” he commented, opening the browser on the tablet to do a reverse image search.

Something flashed on-screen when he began to type in the search box and the auto-complete function tried to help, but it was gone when it was obviously not what John was looking for. Kayo had however seen the words _GDF_ and _personnel_ and was instantly amused and, she had to admit, intrigued. _Well! This explained that quick swipe earlier..._ “Is she pretty?” she asked without preamble.

He knew exactly who Kayo was talking about and Kayo knew that he knew. And his answer would tell her all she needed to know. John, as expected, remained impassible, displaying his exceptional control over his facial expressions when the situation called for it. He typed a few more words, then while the results appeared on-screen, reached into his sleeping pants pocket to retrieve something. Without a word, he placed what he was holding in front of her: her hairband that she had dropped in the lounge—Scott and her hadn’t found it in the chute.

“This was caught in the crack between the lamp platform and the floor. I have not tried to find out how it got there.”

He was basically telling her to mind her own business and he would mind his in return. She wouldn’t press him for more details about Ridley O’Bannon, but she couldn’t stop her smile from broadening. “She _is_ pretty,” she insisted.

“Knock it off,” he protested, but his mouth twitched as he concentrated on the screen.

They were going through some rather unsatisfactory search results and Kayo’s mind couldn’t help but wander a bit. “If the mechas were controlled through his neural link, they have to have some sort of antenna, don’t they? Would it still be attached on the one Virgil brought back? If we find the right frequency and send impulses through it, do you think we could do reverse tracking using it? Would he be alerted if we did?” she mused, “also, when he sent those... wasp-things after me, he did something with his wrist first. The footage from my camera might have caught it... could he be opening a channel or changing frequencies? My comm link was disabled during that time and so were the charges I had planted.”

“We don’t know the range on those things but I suppose there’s only one way to find out if they can also emit or have frequency limitations. I’ll go get the mecha head and we can do some tests with your wrist communicator.” He stood up. “We can also talk about the explosives when I come back!” he added as he rushed out, nearly colliding with Scott who was arriving from the upper level.

“Hi John, bye John,” the older man stammered, watching him leave, then frowned as what his brother had actually said sank in. He turned back to look at Kayo, his eyes still narrowed. “What does he mean, _explosives_?”

Putting her best impish smile on, she slung the hairband at him, hitting him square in the chest.


	6. Chapter 6

Kayo made Shadow circle around, preparing to land. It wasn’t the usual day or the usual time, but she was in the area, was in a particularly good mood after helping Gordon and Virgil on a rescue. and she felt like sharing. So, after checking with the others that there was no problem with her taking a detour on her way back to the island, she had headed for her father’s residence.

The place was secluded and quiet. She was able to land close by and simply enabled the cloaking on her ship. She usually visited on one of her “off” days—although no one was ever really off-duty—and she usually drove to his place from the local airport and wore street clothes. She was curious to see how he would react to seeing her in uniform.

She always went through the garden when she visited. Even on Tracy Island, plants and flowers had been a huge part of Kyrano’s life and they were a barometer of her father’s state of mind. When Jeff had disappeared, the garden suffered deeply for a while; Kyrano had been simply gutted and guilt ridden for months before he had decided to leave the island.

Here, away from the constant reminder of his failure at protecting the man he had considered more than just his employer, he had healed slowly. Each time Kayo visited, she noticed something new, something flourishing. It put joy in her heart. Her father was a silent man, but his garden spoke for him. She meandered along the stone path, her boots barely making a noise, admiring a vibrant hibiscus that hadn't been in full bloom the last time she was there, as she rounded the last bend.

He was at the back of the garden, in the sitting area, trimming a bonsai tree. She stopped to take in the setting, not even trying to hide the fond smile on her face. Kyrano removed a few leaves to one side, then said: “You are going to grow roots, Tanusha.”

Of course, he had known she was there. He had trained her after all. She approached the table. Kyrano didn’t stop what he was doing. He wasn’t a greeter, never had been one. The contrast with what happened back home was stark... Kayo blinked. It was so natural to call the island home now. This garden, this house was her father’s home, not hers, and would never be. It saddened her a little.

“You look well,” she said, although now that she was closer, it seemed like he had lost a little weight.

“You didn’t call,” he stated.

“It was a last-minute decision. I was on my way back from a rescue.”

He glanced at her, at her uniform. “You are not wearing IR blue.”

She wasn’t sure if that was disappointment or in his voice or disapproval. She felt like she had to justify herself: “When Brains designed my uniform, he asked what I wanted to do. I chose your colors instead. I thought it was only fitting. Plus, it doesn’t stand out as much when I’m in covert ops mode to help the GDF—and International Rescue.”

Kyrano’s expression darkened at the mention of the GDF. The GDF was a delicate subject now. She should have remembered.

A noise coming from the house made her turn around. Eli, Kyrano’s ever efficient aide and housekeeper, was coming towards them carrying a tray. He had prepared tea—and included two cups so he had apparently seen that Kayo was there. She smiled at the man and his timely interruption, then cleared a spot on the table for him before sitting down next to her father.

After Kyrano left the island, Scott had made sure he had a generous pension and was provided with anything he might have needed. At first, Kyrano remained mostly on his own, Kayo’s visits representing most of his entertainment and social interactions. Then, she had hinted at the fact that he could hire someone to help him with the everyday tasks he enjoyed least and, to her surprise, he had agreed. As far as she knew, Eli was there a few days a week to help around the house. He was more than hired help, however. He was a beneficial presence, if not a friend, to her father. She was grateful for him as well.

“This is lovely, Eli, thank you so much,” she said, moved by his thoughtfulness, and began to serve.

“A pleasure, as always, Miss Tanusha,” he replied in his low, soothing voice.

He waited for Kayo to busy herself with pouring the hot beverage into the delicate cups and had a silent exchange with Kyrano over her head. A look, a nod, then Eli left with the empty tray.

Kayo took two cookies from the plate Eli had also brought and put them on the saucer, to the right, exactly as her father preferred it. The ritual was comforting.

“Do you go out on rescues often?” Kyrano asked.

He was trying to dispel the uneasiness, to show that he cared about what she did. It almost felt like an apology, a peace offering.

“I’m where they need me. Security and intel come first but I won’t say no to outings. Plus, Scott and Alan are out on a mission to Mars so they need all the crazy pilots they can get Earth-side. I transferred from my ship to a plane mid-air to help with a landing today. Knocked a few wheels off but everyone was safe in the end.”

Kyrano nodded. “Good. Good.”

There was a little spark in his eye that made her wonder if he missed being on missions sometimes. Her father was a competent agent and he would have been a welcome member of International Rescue. But he had refused each time she asked him if he wanted to come back. She didn’t ask anymore. If he was happy just to listen, so be it.

She chuckled. “Scott will be jealous that I did what he would have claimed as one of ‘his’ rescues.”

Her expression softened at the thought of the eldest Tracy brother. She hesitated for a moment, a little shy about what she was about to reveal. “Something happened, Father,” she began.

Kyrano actually looked at her and she felt her face heat up. She searched for the right words.

“From the look on your face, it’s something good,” he prodded gently.

She nodded and took a sip of tea. “I... Scott and I... we are seeing each other now.”

His lips quirked, then he drank some of his tea as well. “How ironic,” he murmured.

She frowned, waited, hoping he would explain what he meant. He took his time putting his cup back on the table.

“He had joked about this, you know. About you two ending up together.”

Kyrano didn’t say who “he” was. He didn’t need to. An uncomfortable silence settled between them. He drank his tea with a sad little smile on his face, leaving his cookies untouched. Kayo decided to change the subject and not insist on the matter, even if it should have been happy and perhaps the source of good-natured teasing. She looked at the tree on the table. “I had not seen this one before. Is it an azalea?” she asked.

“Yes.”

“I’m trimming the juniper you put in the lounge, I’m doing my best but I haven’t inherited your green thumb and it’s not thriving as this one is.”

“Are you watering it correctly? Or trimming too much off at a time? Is the wiring too restrictive?”

“Yes, no... I don’t think so...”

“Sometimes, it’s telling what it wants to do, it’s a matter of stopping and looking carefully.” He motioned toward the azalea. “What is this one telling you? Should I continue trimming it?”

She looked at it attentively. “On the left, I’d remove this one.” She pointed at a small branch.

Kyrano motioned toward the shears. “Show me.”

She wasn’t sure if the weight she felt in the pit of her stomach was nervousness at the thought of damaging his work of art, or melancholy. She picked up the tool and placed it where she thought, looking back at her father. He nodded. The weight lifted to leave a type of thrill she hadn’t felt in a while. She made her cut and sat back down, turning the branch—a twig, really—between her fingers. “I miss your teachings, _Ayah_ ,” she let out.

The familiar term escaped her mouth before she could hold it back. She had not called him daddy in years. She pursed her lips, devastated to realize that as time went on, the more she felt awkward when she was with her father. He was becoming a stranger.

He remained silent, then cocked his head to one side. “The ficus requires trimming as well,” he said as if he hadn’t heard her or if he were ignoring her.

He stood up, a little slower than usual, and picked up the azalea. “You will need to remove your gloves if you want to handle the shears correctly,” he commented, giving her the trademark lopsided Kyrano smile before he headed off to presumably where the ficus was.

She flew home a few hours later with the elated smile of a happy little girl who had just spent rare quality time with her parent, a box of cookies that Eli had left for her—her private stash was depleting quickly now that she was regularly sharing with Scott and some restocking wouldn’t hurt—and prayed that the azalea would survive the trip.

***

Alan felt his big brother’s stare on him as he worked the controls on Three and set their flight path. It was a bit odd and unnerving. He chanced a glance in Scott’s direction and his peripheral vision registered a smile on the older man’s face. “What?” Alan asked.

“I’m very proud of you,” Scott stated, “That was impressive piloting. Good job.”

Alan shrugged. “It’s like a game, when you practice often enough, you know the basics so much you have mental room for the rest.” He fiddled with a few controls, then added: “Thank you for trusting me with making the decisions.”

“Why wouldn’t I? You’re our top rocket pilot, you know your ship, you have trained for this.” Scott reached over and nudged his brother’s shoulder. “And you’ve saved everyone. Not a bad day’s work!”

Alan tried to look casual, but receiving praise from his oldest brother—his hero—was a treat he would never tire of getting.

“You did so well I’ll even endure that silly alien footage you have if you want to watch that on our way back,” Scott said.

Alan waved his hand dismissively. “Nah, not for now. I might check to see if my favorite vlogger put up another snowboarding video, or play some Cavern Quest later on. Maybe I’ll convince you to play with me.”

Scott smiled. He didn’t get much alone bonding time with his baby brother and this was actually nice—to the point that he might actually agree to play a game or two. “We’ll see,” he replied.

Once they were out of Mars’ orbit, Alan engaged the ion fusion engines. Both brothers sat back in their respective seat, settling down for the trip.

“I can’t believe how quickly Captain Taylor decided to stay on Mars,” Alan commented pensively, looking out the portholes at the endless expanse in front of them.

“Some people are excited about starting a new life there. It’s not for everyone but I can see the appeal if someone wants to start a family or if that’s what they’ve been studying all their lives. Some people thrive on that.”

“Maybe, but he didn’t have any luggage with him. What do you think will happen? Where will he live?”

Scott shrugged. “I’m pretty sure they'll have spare luggage. They’ll salvage what they can on the wreck and a supply ship could bring some of the things he wants. I’ll contact Colonel Casey to arrange something for it.” He scratched his head. “As far as where he’ll live, I’m sure they have additional cabins. Surely the colony won’t say no to a skilled guy like him who’s seen pretty much every possible situation there is.”

Alan scrunched his face. “But to decide on a whim that you’re staying on a different planet with no real plan of coming back?”

“Considering that he lived on an old moon base on his own for a very long time, Mars is an improvement. And he’ll feel useful to the colony. He just might not call any of them by their actual names for weeks, if not months.”

Alan guffawed. “Poor guy. He tries. He called Virgil Valentino once.”

“Well at least it was the right first letter.”

They sat in silence for a while, each lost in their own thoughts. Then, out of seemingly nowhere, Alan asked: “Do you want a family someday? Or have you had enough with raising us?”

“Haha, very funny.”

Scott was about to add something, but gave the question some thought. Kayo and him had never really discussed the matter. To his shame, he had to admit he hadn’t even thought about birth control the first night they spent together. He had expressed his concerns to Kayo the day after, wondering why she didn’t seem worried about it herself. She had replied that she had been using implants for a few years to control her periods and not to be caught unawares during a mission and that it was now simply serving another purpose. The situation had been quickly settled: no possibility of children for now and if he was honest with himself, he wasn’t ready for any at this point, so that current situation suited him perfectly.

“I haven’t thought much about it. I don’t know...” Scott hesitated, not ready to commit himself. “Do you?”

“Yeah, probably. Not right now, obviously. But do you think it’s possible? With the work we do?”

Scott shrugged. “Why not? First responders and soldiers all over the world have families and children. Why couldn’t we if that’s what we want? Of course, that means we have to find a partner that understands what we do.”

 _Or that actually wants children_ —the thought of Kayo with a rounded belly was strange and unsettling.

“Hmmm...” Alan pondered out loud.

“Hmmm what? What is that supposed to mean?”

“I don’t think that would be a problem.”

Alan smiled and the light coming from the displays in front of him didn’t totally manage to hide the fact that he was blushing. Scott blanched. It was the perfect moment to say something, start the conversation, try to discourage Alan from having hopes about Kayo... “Did you meet someone at school?” He went for the teasing smile for added effect.

His little brother gave him an unimpressed side-eye. “She already knows quite a bit about what we do,” he supplied.

 _This is it, Tracy, time to put your actor skills to the test..._ “You mean Kayo?” Scott’s incredulous tone of voice sounded forced, even to himself. “She doesn’t count.”

Alan looked offended that his obvious choice was rejected so quickly. “Why not?”

“Um, because she’s not your girlfriend?”

“Yet.”

Scott congratulated himself on not screaming out loud. “You might want to check with her about that before claiming things.”

 _Smooth, man, throw your partner under the bus and let her handle this... although if Alan ever asks directly it would solve some of our problems._ Scott added to himself.

“I just have to find the right time to do it.”

Alan was a Tracy, Tracys found solutions to problems, they were tenacious and hard-headed—Scott knew a thing or two about that... What would convince his brother that it was a bad idea? He tried from another angle: “Isn’t she too old for you?”

He almost felt the slap upside the head he would get from Kayo for insinuating that she was old, but it was a hit he was ready to take if it worked.

“Pfft. What’s a few years?”

“More like ten, bro... by the time you’re ready to start a family, it’ll be a little late for her.”

“We’d make it work... age difference doesn’t matter after a point,” Alan insisted with that characteristic pout he pulled when he was irked by something. “We could adopt if she doesn’t want to stop for nine months and do all that... baby, er, stuff.”

Scott snorted. “Newsflash, it’s not just the mom’s job to do ‘baby stuff,’” he air quoted the last part.

“I know! I’m not dumb! But women still carry the baby last time I checked. Of course I’d be there for the baby stuff. Who do you think I am?”

Scott had a second vision of a rounded-belly Kayo in less than half an hour and was not ready for the flood of emotions that came with it. “What if she already likes someone else?” he let out out of desperation.

“Who?” Under other circumstances, Alan’s incredulous tone of voice would have been hilarious. “We don’t have much time to socialize. Have you seen her go out on dates? I sure haven’t.”

Scott accepted the twang of guilt Alan unwittingly brought to his stomach. He wasn’t taking Kayo out on dates. They never seem to have time for them. She never said anything. Thinking about her with a baby bump, yet not able to take her to a restaurant for a meal. Some dream guy he turned out to be... “Don’t you think she would have made her feelings clear already if she was interested?” _Because, you know, you were both instantaneous in telling each other how you felt when you realized you had feelings for each other?_

“Kayo is not very demonstrative. It’s how she was brought up. Look at her dad, when he was on the island, he was just so quiet and never hugged her in public or anything.”

Scott took a deep breath, trying to hide his frustration. “Alan...”

“You have to dream a little, you know. You’re always so serious.”

“I just don’t want you to build castles in the air.”

“I’m not. You’ll see. Worry about finding your own soulmate, old man.”

Alan’s pout had been replaced by the determined Tracy expression. Scott almost felt physically ill.

***

Lady Penelope, Parker and Kayo stood before the smoldering remains of the building they had just barely escaped. “Well, that was most distressing,” Penelope stated, her calm demeanor betrayed by the hint of worry in her eyes.

“Trust me, the Mechanic will be distressed too, when I catch him,” Kayo spat, not caring in any way that he was nearly twice her size.

Her comm bleeped and she raised her wrist closer to her face as John’s holographic image popped out.

 _“My systems registered an explosion in your area,”_ he said, _“Is everyone all right?”_

“Quite, John, thank you. It appears that the Mechanic doesn’t enjoy visitors much,” Penelope replied.

“It was a decoy, there’s not much left here,” Kayo added before looking at the other woman. “I would like to go to the first location you found. If we’re lucky, the system will still be there and we might be able to get more info out of it.”

“Yes, of course. We’ll show you the way, won’t we, Parker?”

“Yes, M’lady. We can leave ‘has soon as you’re ready.”

Kayo nodded at the butler in thanks before addressing John again: “Any news from Thunderbird Three?”

_“Yes. They have managed to escape the Mechanic with relatively limited damage, but we have lost the TV-21. Its engines overheated and it exploded.”_

She bit her lip. “I’m so sorry,” she murmured.

He didn’t reply right away and she gave him time to compose himself. _“I’m taking the elevator to the island.”_

Oh good. As much as John enjoyed his privacy and being on his own, now was a time to be with his family. She hoped Sally and Virgil would ignore his protestations and engulf him in a hug as soon as he set foot on Earth.

“We shouldn’t be long. I’ll head back as soon as we finish gathering all that we can.”

_“Be careful. The Mechanic might still be watching the area.”_

“FAB. See you later.” John’s hologram disappeared and Kayo summoned Shadow before lowering her hand. “Lead the way,” she said to Penelope and Parker.

She revved up her bike and sped ahead to reconnect with Shadow further down the road while Parker followed, activating FAB-1’s flight mode.

Penelope had closed the secret paneling again before they had left the premises so when they arrived on location, it looked like any ordinary and abandoned empty warehouse. Kayo was surprised that there weren’t any booby traps. She scanned the area, nodding approvingly when Penelope did the same with her compact in another area of the warehouse. “Anything?” she asked.

The blonde woman shook her head. “Nothing... I’m not sure if it’s a good sign.”

“If we’re lucky, he was busy enough with Scott and Alan and is not paying attention.” She fiddled on her wrist band. “I’m not taking any chances; I’m scrambling the signals around us before I’ll attempt anything.”

Once she was done, Penelope opened the secret panel. The displays were still on and they could see part of the extractor.

“Brains will love this,” Kayo commented, reaching into one of the pockets on her belt.

“Wouldn’t the Mechanic prevent you from copying anything?” Penelope asked.

“If that’s the case, I’ll just take the whole drive... actually, that might be even simpler. We just have to make sure it thinks it’s still connected.”

While she wasn’t as proficient as John or Brains when it came to computers—they were on a whole other level—she could still hold her own and made quick work of the drive, containing it and disconnecting it from the mainframe. “If we lose data, let’s hope it’s the one you had the time to send in the first place, Lady Penelope,” she said.

“Indeed.”

“We shouldn’t leave anything,” Kayo said, considering the whole room, “FAB-1 wouldn’t happen to come equipped with a few explosive charges, would it?” she asked Parker with a lopsided smile.

“Allegedly,” the butler said in his usual unflappable manner, but the twinkle in his eye told her what he thought of the situation.

“A bit over-dramatic, don’t you think? We don’t have to stoop to our opponent’s level if we don’t have to,” Penelope intervened. “I believe we could call the GDF instead to do the dirty work. We've collected what we wanted.”

She picked up Sherbet who was pawing at her leg and gave Kayo and Parker a steady look. He automatically let out a: “Yes, M’lady,” but shared a disappointed glance with his alleged accomplice while his employer wasn’t watching.

“I will contact Colonel Casey, then Parker and I will wait for the GDF to arrive. You can go back to Tracy Island with the drive right away.”

“Are you sure?”

“Oh yes, darling, I can handle a few bureaucrats on my own.”

Kayo chuckled. “That’s an understatement.”

“Do send my best to the family.”

“Of course,” Kayo replied, petting Sherbet’s head, “I’ll let you know if we find anything.”

She walked by Parker on her way out. “Are we still up for training next week?” she asked.

“Yes, Miss Kyrano, if you so wish.”

“Kayo,” she reminded him. Miss Kyrano sounded too pompous and she was constantly correcting him—although she suspected he was calling her that on purpose now. “That will be lovely.”

“Training, Parker?” Penelope asked with a delicately quirked eyebrow.

“Lock picking,” Kayo provided.

Then both added “Allegedly” at the same time.

“How... fascinating. Do you think it could be beneficial that I attended as well?”

Kayo’s smile broadened. She said nothing, but waggled her fingers at them before exiting the warehouse.

***

It had been a hard day. John had stayed for a while but was now back up in space. Three would be out of commission for a little while and he was now the main rescue resource available, One was also stranded until she was repaired and despite Sally’s encouraging words, the general mood in the household was quiet and reflective. Virgil had played piano for a little while, but most had retired early.

Most usually meant “not Scott.” And as Kayo saw when she came up the stairs to the lounge after her perimeter check, he was still at his father’s desk. That in itself wasn’t unusual, there were reports to fill, maintenance to do and situations to handle. But even from where she was, she could see that he wasn’t working. He sat there with the display on, but he wasn’t moving. She pursed her lips, wishing she could take some of the burden off his shoulders.

She made her way to him silently, smiling at him when he looked up.

“I’m sorry. I’m just finishing this, it shouldn’t take long,” he said, trying to justify himself.

She said nothing, stopped next to the chair and hugged him. He leant into her, resting the side of his face against her breasts and snaking his arm around her waist. He sighed, nuzzling her a little. “Sorry,” he repeated.

She kissed the top of his head. “For nearly dying twice today?”

His hold tightened. “Excuse me? Who was almost blown away by an explosion today?”

She kissed him again and he felt the smile on her lips. “You?”

“... and?”

“Alan?”

“... and?”

“MAX? Lady Penelope? Parker?”

“Stop it,” he complained, swatting at her butt before hugging her again.

“I was in no danger whatsoever. I was just doing my job of protecting you the best way I could. Part of my contract, you know.”

He stood up, barely letting go of her before drawing her close again. Kayo wrapped her arms around his neck, resting her forehead against his, admiring the detail of his long eyelashes casting shadows on his cheeks.

“I know what Grandma said, I know it’s a hunk of metal, but... I just can’t shake it... I dragged Alan along into this and I’m angry at myself because I knew all of this was wrong and she was right but...” he stopped his rambling, frowning and pinching his lips.

Kayo took his face in her hands, forcing him to look at her. “You went on a rescue with your brother because that fool Ned Tedford didn’t follow the instructions and was stuck where he shouldn’t have been.”

“He was stuck there because of u—”

She raised her voice impatiently. “He should have followed his orders and you were stuck going up there to save him. So _I’m_ angry at the GDF for hiring that man and trusting him with the iridium vault. And for putting you two in danger. I can assure you that Colonel Casey will hear about this.” Her voice softened. “Having said that, Alan is your rocket pilot and it was his job to be there and he did it as expected.”

“He was excellent at it.”

“He was and he would have been upset at you if you didn’t take him along.”

Scott nodded and held her closer.

“Now, about that hunk of metal. We know the Mechanic has tried to steal scandium, which is used for aerospace components, iridium, which is used for components that are used at high temperatures and he wanted your father’s ship, which was a viable rocket with a functional and extremely powerful fusion engine. That man is building something and preparing for something. You know very well that, had Jeff been here, he would have tried to stop him, he would have never let him get away with stealing the TV-21 and would have destroyed it without a thought if it saved someone and if it foiled the Mechanic’s plans.”

“I know...”

She caressed his cheeks, her nails catching lightly in his stubble. “You made the right decision to let it go and your father would have approved. He would have been proud of you.”

“My head knows that, but it's yet to make the rest of me understand. I know it’s childish to hold on to material things but seeing the ship was a shock. It was something of Dad's that we had only just found.” He sighed. “I thought that being busy and working would take my mind off it, and yet, here I am.”

“I didn’t know you weren't allowed to stop for a day and mourn?”

“It’s been years, the TV-21 wasn’t going to bring him back. I shouldn’t—”

Kayo squeezed his cheeks, making his mouth pucker up. “No. You had the right to be sad and angry even if you did the right thing. Give yourself the right. Stop apologizing for it and trying to find reasons not to because big-balled Scott Tracy shouldn’t feel anything and should march on.”

He laughed despite himself. Kayo considered him for a moment, then seemed to come to a conclusion of her own about something. “What are you working on? Can you save it and work on it later?”

He mumbled something and she released the pressure on his face. “Tracy Industries stuff. I guess I could save it...”

“Good.”

She let go of him and pushed him gently aside to take his place at the desk.

“What are you doing?”

“I’m taking you to the training room,” she said, saving the file he was working on, then shutting the computer off. “Then, I’m putting gloves on you and we’re going to have a discussion where you happen to be standing close to the punching bag.”

“I love you,” he simply said.

“Wait until after I’m done with you before saying that,” she replied, taking his hand and heading for the levels below where the training room was located.


End file.
